Raleigh business owner inspired to offers safe space for teens
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh business owner is opening his doors to support a youth mentoring program aimed at helping teens connect, develop leadership skills and engage in positive peer-to-peer conversations.
The Athlete's Foot on Glenwood Avenue hosted a "Teen Talk " event Tuesday night in partnership with Katch the Kite, a youth mentoring group founded by Scottie Barnes.
Shady Dahir said he learned about Katch the Kite and Barnes' work after watching coverage of a large teen gathering in Raleigh on July 4.
"After seeing everything that transpired, and come back and just watch the news, I was pretty shocked on what happened," Dahir said. "Watching that made me think there's a lot of guys out here that want to make an impact, but they just don't know where to have a meeting space to have that impactful conversation with the teens."
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Through Katch the Kite, Barnes has shared ways that community members can help and support teens, prompting Dahir to get involved. Dahir offered the store's community room to support the Teen Talk series, a biweekly leadership and mentoring program that promotes peer-to-peer communication.
A Raleigh native, Dahir said he wanted to provide a free, dedicated space where teens can connect, build leadership skills and interact with positive adult role models, like Barnes.
"One thing that people are missing are people like Scottie Barnes. Scottie Barnes is here to make a positive impact on the community, and one thing Scottie needs are more places like this to where they can come in, have a safe place, have a conversation, and move forward within the community," Dahir said.
Dahir said he wants the community to know the space is available at no cost for people looking to meet, mentor, and guide local teens. If you are interested click HERE.
