MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Often, we hear about the challenges our city faces such as crime, blight or a lack of resources for youth. An approach that county and city leaders are taking puts the community at the center.
“You just can’t come in with a turkey during Thanksgiving. You just can’t come in with a bicycle during Christmas,” said Pastor Ricky Floyd, Pursuit of God Transformation Center. “They need to see you when they’re afraid. They need to see you when they have tears in their eyes.”
That is what Memphis leaders say will bring positive change to communities.
“We understand that we are a county of 13 commissioners out of a county of 960,000 residents. It’s very important to have the community voice when we’re making our decisions for our community,” said Charlie Caswell, Shelby County Commissioner, District 6.
Caswell represents Raleigh/Egypt and North Memphis areas. He created the "7Ps initiative." It brings parents, principals, pastors, partners, proprietors, police and politicians together to address issues in the community and put answers to action.
“It’s hard to get work done when you’re in silos, especially when you never know what the other community partner could bring to the table and assist,” said Caswell.
The 7Ps is a collaborative effort that has already seen some success. Frayser pastors such as Ricky Floyd came together to create an athletic league for young men.
“Some of the times where crime is most committed, we were able to have them at practices,” said Pastor Floyd. “We built relationships with them. We built credibility and accountability with them.”
“We saw a reduction youth arrests during that time,” said Caswell.
The impact of the initiative has also influenced other neighborhoods such as Whitehaven. Jason Sharif runs Respect the Haven CDC. He has adopted the 7P’s approach.
“We’re working on our community council meetings where we bring the 7Ps together on a monthly basis,” said Sharif. “We can be more visible, vocal, and valuable to our community.”
“It’s going to take a village to bring our community together to create safe, healthy, and nurturing environments for our children and families,” said Caswell. They are a village knocking down problems and building up solutions.