This week, WJZ featured 2014 OSI Community Fellow Van Brooks and the Safe Alternative Foundation for Education (SAFE) Center he founded. SAFE recently received a $5,000 grant from the Society for Science and the Public to support SAFE’s science-oriented summer programs. Brooks developed SAFE to promote education and life skills for youth from the Franklin Square neighborhood where he grew up.
Brooks expanded programming for SAFE as part of his fellowship, by developing “Yards for Success,” a free flag football league for 25 middle school children as part of his Fellowship. The students play games against police officers, firefighters, and community leaders to build relationships with and instill a sense of trust in authority figures.
