# Event Details

- **Event Name**: Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum
- **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 07 May, 2026 at 06:00 pm – Thu, 07 May, 2026 at 07:30 pm (-04:00)
- **Event Description**: Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum

Join us for a powerful evening of connection, conversation, and community action. 💛

The Indiana Child Safety Campaign invites you to a one-night community forum in collaboration with Rio’s Rainbow, Parent Coalition for Child Safety & Wellness, Speak Our Truth Project, and Tolson Center for Community Excellence, in partnership with the Children’s Policy and Law Initiative (CPLI) out of Indianapolis.

This forum is centered on listening, learning, and lifting voices. Together, we are creating a safe and welcoming space for youth, parents and guardians, educators, service providers, and community members to come together and share real experiences surrounding child safety—both locally and across Indiana.

✨ Through roundtable discussions and open dialogue, we’ll explore:
• The current realities facing our children in Indiana
• Lived experiences from those directly impacted
• Community perspectives on laws and policies
• What changes you want—and don’t want—to see moving forward

🤝 Community Ambassadors
Local Community Ambassadors will help guide each discussion, ensuring every voice is heard. These trusted individuals bring lived experience, compassion, and a deep commitment to child advocacy. They will help foster a safe, respectful environment while uplifting participant voices and capturing key insights to support meaningful change.

📊 Grounding Our Conversation in Local Data
The forum will include a brief presentation highlighting Elkhart County-specific data on the school-to-prison pipeline. The disparities are stark—while Black children represent approximately 7% of the student population, they account for 41% of incarcerated youth in the county. This reality underscores the urgency of community-driven solutions.

🎤 Speaker Highlight
LaKeyue Williams, Project Manager for The Source, will present and contextualize this data, offering insight into how the school-to-prison pipeline is impacting youth in Elkhart County and across Indiana. Her work helps bring critical awareness to systemic inequities and informs solutions rooted in community voice.

🔥 Special Feature
CPLI will introduce the Youth Justice Leadership Program (YJLP)—a statewide initiative empowering youth, particularly those impacted by community violence, to become leaders, advocates, and change-makers.

Your voice matters. Representation matters. And most importantly, our youth deserve a seat at the table in conversations that directly impact their lives.

📅 Thursday, May 7
⏰ 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Tolson Center for Community Excellence
1320 Benham Ave, Elkhart, IN 46516

🍽 Dinner will be catered by Deals Xclusive Eatz & Catering

Come share your story. Listen. Learn. Lead.
Be part of the change.



Speak Our Truth Project: Foro Comunitario sobre la Seguridad Infantil

Únase a nosotros para una poderosa noche de conexión, conversación y acción comunitaria. 💛

La Campaña de Seguridad Infantil de Indiana le invita a un foro comunitario de una sola noche en colaboración con Rio’s Rainbow, Parent Coalition for Child Safety & Wellness, Speak Our Truth Project y Tolson Center for Community Excellence, en asociación con la Children’s Policy and Law Initiative (CPLI) de Indianápolis.

Este foro está centrado en escuchar, aprender y elevar las voces. Juntos, estamos creando un espacio seguro y acogedor para que jóvenes, padres y tutores, educadores, proveedores de servicios y miembros de la comunidad se reúnan y compartan experiencias reales relacionadas con la seguridad infantil, tanto a nivel local como en todo Indiana.

✨ A través de mesas redondas y diálogo abierto, exploraremos:
• Las realidades actuales que enfrentan nuestros niños en Indiana
• Experiencias vividas por quienes han sido directamente afectados
• Perspectivas comunitarias sobre leyes y políticas
• Qué cambios desea —y no desea— ver en el futuro

🤝 Embajadores Comunitarios
Embajadores Comunitarios locales ayudarán a guiar cada conversación, asegurando que todas las voces sean escuchadas. Estas personas de confianza aportan experiencias vividas, compasión y un fuerte compromiso con la defensa de la niñez. Ayudarán a crear un entorno seguro y respetuoso, al mismo tiempo que elevan las voces de los participantes y recopilan ideas clave para impulsar cambios significativos.

📊 Fundamentando la Conversación con Datos Locales
El foro incluirá una breve presentación que destacará datos específicos del condado de Elkhart sobre el llamado “pipeline de la escuela a la prisión”. Las disparidades son alarmantes: aunque los niños afroamericanos representan aproximadamente el 7% de la población estudiantil, constituyen el 41% de los jóvenes encarcelados en el condado. Esta realidad subraya la urgencia de encontrar soluciones impulsadas por la comunidad.

🎤 Ponente Destacada
LaKeyue Williams, Gerente de Proyecto de The Source, presentará y contextualizará estos datos, ofreciendo una visión sobre cómo este fenómeno está afectando a los jóvenes en el condado de Elkhart y en todo Indiana. Su trabajo ayuda a generar conciencia sobre las desigualdades sistémicas y a guiar soluciones basadas en la voz de la comunidad.

🔥 Presentación Especial
CPLI presentará el Programa de Liderazgo en Justicia Juvenil (YJLP), una iniciativa estatal diseñada para empoderar a los jóvenes—especialmente a aquellos afectados por la violencia comunitaria—para que se conviertan en líderes, defensores y agentes de cambio.

Su voz importa. La representación importa. Y lo más importante, nuestros jóvenes merecen un lugar en la mesa en las conversaciones que impactan directamente sus vidas.

📅 Jueves, 7 de mayo
⏰ 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Tolson Center for Community Excellence
1320 Benham Ave, Elkhart, IN 46516

🍽 La cena será proporcionada por Deals Xclusive Eatz & Catering

Venga a compartir su historia. Escuche. Aprenda. Lidere.
Sea parte del cambio.
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/elkhart/speak-our-truth-project-child-safety-community-forum/200029973199515
- **Event Categories**: business, health-wellness, trips-adventures
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 56

## Ticket Details


## Event venue details

- **city**: Elkhart
- **state**: IN
- **country**: United States
- **location**: Tolson Center ∙ Centro Tolson
- **lat**: 41.675234360469
- **long**: -85.969886331952
- **full address**: Tolson Center ∙ Centro Tolson, 1320 Benham Ave, Elkhart, IN 46516-3341, United States

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events9/banners/fe3fe29d09b06ede36b6de12ff1ce1821f6bb0102e175257cfbda29d3927d5f4-rimg-w1137-h1470-dc2e2f32-gmir?v=1776871274

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum being held?
  - **A:** Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum takes place on Thu, 07 May, 2026 at 06:00 pm to Thu, 07 May, 2026 at 07:30 pm at Tolson Center ∙ Centro Tolson, 1320 Benham Ave, Elkhart, IN 46516-3341, United States.
- **Q**: Who is organizing Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum?
  - **A:** Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum is organized by Speak Our Truth Project.
- **Q**: Who is this event for? Is it right for me?
  - **A:** Speak Our Truth Project: Child Safety Community Forum is ideal for professionals, entrepreneurs, startup founders, and networking enthusiasts eager to grow their connections. Whether you're a first-time attendee or a longtime enthusiast in Elkhart, this event is thoughtfully curated to deliver a standout experience worth every moment. With 50+ people already showing interest, this is clearly an event worth adding to your calendar - don't miss out.

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