DAYTON, Ohio — After experiencing a sharp rise in youth violence last year, a new community-driven project is giving teens a safe space to now only express themselves but learn new skills in the process.

The "Re-Lite Nite Initiative" is expected to make a positive impact in Northwest Dayton and could be a shining example of how to tackle the problems in other Ohio communities.

What You Need To Know

  • Re-Lite Nite Initiative is putting a special focus on teens in Northwest Dayton's Hope Zone

  • Teens will enjoy open gym and basketball, STEM and cooking classes, weekly meals and live DJs, mental health support, and leadership opportunities

  • The efforts are in response to the sharp rise in youth violence last year

  • It’s a pilot project led by the Community Engagement of Religious Organizations

The nonprofit Omega Community Development Corporation in Dayton is no stranger to hosting meaningful get-togethers.

In May, teens will be an additional focus and the Re-Lite Night Initiative will be underway.

It’s a pilot project led by the Community Engagement of Religious Organizations.

“We had a parade months ago and kids said, ‘we want a safe space. We want to be safe.' And that just stuck with us,” said project leaders and CERO Network Founder Pastor Daryl Ward.

Pastors around the area came together to make it happen.

Throughout the Hope Zone in Northwest Dayton, teens will have safe and structured evening activities from May through August. 

“We are also empowering young people to step into leadership roles. So we’ll have youth ambassadors, we’re hiring ten of them and they will really be helping to determine what the day looks like, but also more importantly, what the expectation is for their peers to enjoy the space,” said Omega CDC Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives Tracy Sibbing.

“More than anything, it’s a space where people can be about the positive things that they’re supposed to be about at that age,” said Ward.

Teens will enjoy open gym and basketball, STEM and cooking classes, weekly meals and live DJs, mental health support and leadership opportunities.

“I think it’s a really important opportunity for the rest of the community to listen to what they need. There has been an increase in violence, and there’s a myriad of reasons for that, but young people are saying ‘we care about our future, we want to be safe, and we want the adults in the room to hear what we’re saying’,” Sibbing said.

With a team of 10 churches on board, the mission is going back to the basics.

“This is why the church is here. This is not just to have church services, and organs playing and people crying and stuff, but it’s to serve the community,” Ward said.

The program is funded through Omega CDC’s Hope Zone Promise Neighborhood Grant, the city of Dayton, and the Dayton Foundation.

Events will be held weekly from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bethesda Temple Apostolic Church and at the Northwest Recreation Center.