THE TARIQ KHAMISA FOUNDATION
THE TKF STORY
Founded by Azim Khamisa in honor of his son, the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF) was established in 1995 after Tariq Khamisa, a 20-year-old college student was killed by Tony Hicks, a 14-year-old gang member. Tony became the first child in California under the age of 16 to be convicted as an adult. He was sentenced 25 years to life in prison. Believing there were “victims on both ends of the gun,” Tariq’s father, Azim Khamisa, reached out in forgiveness to Tony’s grandfather, Ples Felix, to begin the process of healing; together they established TKF. TKF’s goal is to stop youth violence through education, mentorship, and community service programs.
- Education Programs (Assemblies and Classroom Curriculum) that encourage our youth to “Forgive” as opposed to “Fight” and to “Be kind” as opposed to “Bully.”
- Mentorship Programs (One-on-One Mentoring, Group Workshops, and Summer Programs) that allow our youth to be around positive role models and to learn critical behavior skills in a constructive environment.
- Community Service Programs (park clean-ups, graffiti removal, cards for the military, clothing drives for a runaway shelter, food bank assistance, visits to senior centers, etc.) that help our youth to develop a sense of goodwill and to constructively give back to their community.
LINK: www.TKF.org
The CANEI (Constant and Never Ending Improvement) Program – co-founded by Azim Khamisa – is in its 11th year and has a presence in eight cities in the United States. Over the last five years, the CANEI program has successfully turned around 70 percent of the youth offenders referred to the program by the juvenile justice agencies. This is compared to the State systems where the recidivism rates are higher than 80 percent. CANEI is able to make such an impact and only requires 10 percent of the cost of incarceration.
The National Youth Advocate Program’s CANEI Program is a 26-week, strength-based, in-home treatment program that teaches youth how to live in and respect the community they call home and to develop compassion and empathy, especially for the people closest to them.
Through intensive, home-based services, group-based sessions and a multi-dimensional approach, Living Skills Training and Service Learning Project, CANEI youth transform themselves by cultivating a sense of self, purpose, and responsibility. They positively reconnect with others and live productively and respectfully in their communities.
"From the onset, I saw victims on both ends of the gun. I will mourn Tariq's death for the rest of my life. Now, however, my grief has been transformed into a powerful commitment to change. Change is urgently needed in a society where children kill children."
AZIM KHAMISA, Tariq's father and Founder of TKF
LINK: www.TKF.org
Constant and Never Ending Improvement (CANEI)
The CANEI (Constant and Never Ending Improvement) Program – co-founded by Azim Khamisa – is in its 11th year and has a presence in eight cities in the United States. Over the last five years, the CANEI program has successfully turned around 70 percent of the youth offenders referred to the program by juvenile justice agencies. This is compared to the State systems where the recidivism rates are higher than 80 percent. CANEI is able to make such an impact at 10 percent of the cost of incarceration.
The National Youth Advocate Program's CANEI program is a 26-week, strength-based, in-home treatment program that teaches youth how to live in and respect the community they call home and to develop compassion and empathy for the people close to them and for others.
Through intensive, home-based services, group-based sessions, and a multi-dimensional approach, Living Skills Training and Service Learning Project, CANEI youth transform themselves by cultivating a sense of self, purpose, and responsibility. They positively reconnect with others and live productively and respectfully in their community
Interested in the CANEI program? See NYAP.org for more information.