community trust champions
- building a better community -
In August of 2014, two nights after events in Ferguson, Missouri*, a group of friends, out of concern for their community, gathered informally in a home, opened in prayer and began to discuss what was happening in the nation. That night was followed over the next several months by many, many purpose-driven informal meetings over breakfasts and lunches all over Tulsa to get input from all its citizens and from experienced teachers, judges, police and community leaders. Finally this informal group of friends arrived at a simple idea – to get police officers and middle school students together to talk, and then place them together within the framework of leadership, team building, and trust building exercises.
A pilot for the idea was launched on May 14, 2015. The group named the project Community Trust Champions (CTC). With the support of the Tulsa Chief of Police (TPD) and Tulsa PublicSchools (TPS), twenty students, ten from two different middle schools, met for the first time that day at the HelmZar Challenge (ropes) Course. The video on this website documented what happened. Not surprisingly the day resulted in new perspectives, better understanding, and a small step toward a better community.
In the Spring of 2015, the pilot expanded to one hundred students in Phase 2 with similarly encouraging results. Word of the program is spreading and other communities are considering adopting it. In October of 2018 Community Trust Champions took over the HelmZar Challenge Course supporting and expanding its founders purpose with a fresh vision under the Skyway Leadership Institute at Skyway.org. Better communication and open dialogue has benefited everyone involved. Whoever and wherever you are, join us with efforts in your community to build trust and start your own…
A pilot for the idea was launched on May 14, 2015. The group named the project Community Trust Champions (CTC). With the support of the Tulsa Chief of Police (TPD) and Tulsa PublicSchools (TPS), twenty students, ten from two different middle schools, met for the first time that day at the HelmZar Challenge (ropes) Course. The video on this website documented what happened. Not surprisingly the day resulted in new perspectives, better understanding, and a small step toward a better community.
In the Spring of 2015, the pilot expanded to one hundred students in Phase 2 with similarly encouraging results. Word of the program is spreading and other communities are considering adopting it. In October of 2018 Community Trust Champions took over the HelmZar Challenge Course supporting and expanding its founders purpose with a fresh vision under the Skyway Leadership Institute at Skyway.org. Better communication and open dialogue has benefited everyone involved. Whoever and wherever you are, join us with efforts in your community to build trust and start your own…
* That night we gathered to pray in August of 2014 has been followed by incidents in Baltimore, NYC, Charleston, Tulsa, Houston, Chicago…and they continue. They only heighten the need for all of us to ask what we can do to take action and bring healing to our land.
