April 14, 2026
Getting to Know Our Youth
A Look at What We've Been Up To
It has been a busy and beautiful few months at Friends of the Children - Dallas, and we wanted to take a moment to share some of what our mentors and youth have been up to together.
When Dezirae met her youth for the very first time, they kept it simple. A picnic in the park, some good food, and a conversation about eating well. It was the beginning of a relationship that will span 12+ years, and it started exactly the way it should. Quietly, warmly, and with plenty of room to just get to know each other.
Asiyah has been everywhere. Over the past few months, she has taken her youth roller skating in the park, explored the Dallas Museum of Art and Klyde Warren Park, spent a spring afternoon making art on a blanket in the sunshine, and visited SPARK! Dallas, the creative playground tucked into the basement of the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. With Mother's Day on the horizon, she also gathered her youth at the library to make paper bouquets for mom out of cut paper, colored pencils, and a bow.
Spring Break brought its own adventures, including a trip to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science where youth looked at fossils, played with robots, and simply enjoyed each other's company. One of our kids, Angela, was asked what she would build to survive on Mars. She built a school. We haven't stopped thinking about that answer since.
This is what the early days of Friends of the Children - Dallas look like. Not programs. Not checkboxes. Just mentors and kids out in the world together, building the kind of trust that takes years to grow and lasts a lifetime.