A group of local youth learned about the importance of de-escalation and personal safety during an engaging workshop in South Richmond Hill.
Teenagers from Queens and Brooklyn who are members of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens, located at 110-04 Atlantic Ave., attended a workshop led by the Carol Maraj Foundation on Friday, May 30. Maraj, mother of Queens’ own iconic female rapper Nicki Minaj, and CEO of the Carol Maraj Foundation, held the event to celebrate the launch of her SAFE Youth Initiative program.
SAFE stands for survey and secure safety, analyze and approach with caution, friendly engagement, and peaceful execution. Maraj created the workbook curriculum, which includes de-escalation tactics, example scenarios, and an overall message to work on interpersonal skills, resolve conflict peacefully, and stay calm in uncomfortable situations.
Maraj told QNS she felt unsettled about the sheer level of youth-on-youth violence, and was inspired to create change.“Everything that I was seeing on TV and reading about, I just got sick and tired of it, and I thought to myself, another funeral, empathizing, but there’s nothing else we’re doing,” she said. Maraj said she intends to meet with NYC public schools to advocate for her curriculum to be adopted in the classroom.
During the event, the youngsters were treated to performances by local and out-of-state talents and a speech from Maraj.
Performances included a step-team dance by West-Philadelphia-based Full Force Step and Cheer, a rap song based on the SAFE curriculum performed by Boys and Girls Club member Amare Williams, and a dance performance by Jahlel Keitt.
Tevin Whitehead, founder of Full Force Step and Cheer, said the team partnered with Maraj’s foundation to share the message of the SAFE curriculum. Whitehead said that SAFE can be applied to kids of any background. “In Philly, it’s big for us to be safe, safe in how we communicate with our friends, how we engage in school, and these steps help to prevent you from getting in any bad situation,” he said. Whitehead added that the four-step program allows youngsters the opportunity to diffuse tricky situations and solve problems non-violently.
For many of the teens, the Boys and Girls Club provides a stable environment away from outside influences.
Ariba Rafiq, 15, is a sophomore at John Adams High School and a member of the Boys and Girls Club’s volleyball team. Rafiq said that she enjoys the program and that the club allows her a safe space. “ Most likely, if I hadn’t come to the Boys and Girls Club, I wouldn’t have met the people I have met today and had such strong bonds. I’ve never felt unsafe here,” she said.
Rosebelle Tineo,16, said in reflecting on the event, she learned that it’s important to let things go.“ I learned to never take everything so seriously, to be patient with things, and to have a good, mature mentality when you complete an action,” she said.
The SAFE event also included a brief exercise in which members of the audience acted out a conflict scenario. The conflict was centered around a parent accusing his son’s friend of stealing money he had hidden away. After the scenario was acted out, the audience took the opportunity to reflect on it and discuss how SAFE tactics could have been used to properly escalate the situation and resolve it accordingly.
In her speech, Maraj emphasized that she is passionate about stopping youth-on-youth violence. “The youth are dying, and it bothers me, and it bothers us. We must do something about it,” she said. ‘Everything we are doing here is from our hearts. We want to see this next generation survive, and we are sick and tired of early death, life interrupted. We are sick and tired of our children not living out their dreams and purpose in life,” she said.
Maraj imparted a solemn message to the youngsters: a lack of control over their emotions can lead to grave outcomes. “Somewhere along the line, you are not taught to curb your emotions… many people today are in prisons because of their emotions. There’s no control, and there are many regrets in prisons today,” Maraj said.
“We created the SAFE program to educate young men and young women on using words to diffuse, words to appease, words to come out peacefully in any altercation,” she added.
In the latter part of her speech, Maraj shared an uplifting message to the audience; Know your worth. “ Many say you’re a diamond, a diamond in the rough, but I’m here to tell you you are more than a diamond. A diamond has a price, but you are invaluable, priceless. Know your worth, that nothing has come in your life…to cause you to come out of yourself and end up in a prison or have your life interrupted,” she said.
At the end of the event, each audience member received a package including the SAFE Workbook, a Brighter Side Journal by author Stephanie Joy Wilder, and a Zero Violence T-shirt.
