Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Love The Dare To Be Different Foundation.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The Dare to Be Different Foundation, established in 2020 by Summer Love Minor, aims to enrich the lives of young people, particularly those in underserved communities. Starting as a way to improve children’s behavior at home, we focus on providing access to character development and skill-building opportunities. Our programs engage both children and parents, teaching behavioral health skills and ensuring positive changes in the home environment. We empower children with the tools and techniques they need to thrive as young adults, express their emotions to their parents, and equip parents with the skills to understand their child’s behavior and emotions.”
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We haven’t faced many struggles, but finding a location has been our main challenge. As a new non-profit, we rely on donations, so securing a space is key for us to provide our services.
We’ve been impressed with The Dare To Be Different Foundation , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Dare to Be Different Foundation is a youth development organization that focuses on the issues young people identify in themselves, rather than what adults perceive. We ask children about their main concerns and what they want to learn, such as character development, interview skills, behavioral skills, trauma trigger recognition, and emotional regulation. What sets us apart is that we allow the child to pick what they want to learn. We allow children involved in our program to voice their opinions and emotions in a safe environment, and we brainstorm with them as facilitators to find effective solutions to their problems. What I am proud of most brand-wise is that this is a foundation that started from scratch, pen and paper, me myself, I, and God. It’s important to know that our program isn’t based on behavioral or mental health diagnoses or tactics. Instead, it’s built on ideas that facilitators, volunteers, and children have created and brainstormed together from scratch. This is not medical advice. However, we do want to mention that once a month, we have healthcare and mental health professionals come in to host an educational and informational workshop.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Although I thought it was a good idea from the beginning, I did take a risk. Even though my organization has been established since 2020, I partnered with someone who wasn’t quite ready to provide services to the community yet. They were still in a mentorship program, and I should have waited until they were fully prepared. But, I believe in second chances, and I’m glad to say that they’ve grown tremendously since then. Although it may not have hindered my program and the progress that my foundation has already established in the community, it did raise a red flag for me for partnering with people in the future.
The youth in the community need consistency and accountability, when you start and stop services abruptly it can cause hindrance and potentially disrupt any progress you’ve seen within the time frame of the services you’ve been providing. It is important to “stay the course” & doing so with people who simply have IDEAS, and not yet RESULTS is a really big risk to take as an already established company.
Pricing:
- Free/Grant funding/Donations
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spark.adobe.com/page/S8WLJFyMha8aA/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1FPHDMobGm/
