TKF
TKF (Tariq Khamisa Foundation) was formed in 1995 after Tariq Khamisa, a 20-year-old SDSU student, was senselessly shot and killed while delivering pizzas. His assailant was a 14-year-old gang member named Tony Hicks. Believing that there were “victims at both ends of the gun”, Azim Khamisa, Tariq’s father, reached out in forgiveness to Tony’s grandfather and guardian, Ples Felix, to begin the process of healing. TKF is a non profit organization dedicated to breaking the epidemic of youth violence. Through TKF’s school-based nonviolence programs, Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix speak to elementary and middle school children about gangs, violence, revenge, and the importance of becoming “peacemakers”.
TKF’s Mission Statement
Stopping Kids From Killing Kids and breaking the cycle of youth violence by inspiring nonviolent choices and planting seeds of hope for our children’s future.
TKF’s Vision Statement
TKF is an organization that provides violence prevention educational programs and services to youth nationwide. In partnership with community and educational partners, we cultivate new attitudes and behaviors by role modeling integrity kindness, understanding, peace, forgiveness, compassion, and respect. TKF empowers and nurtures future leaders by inspiring young people to choose nonviolence. TKF cultivates and nurtures a generation of peacemakers who will create a world free from youth violence.
TKF’s Core Values
Core Values provide a living foundation on which to build TKF. Core Values are a guiding light used to illuminate our path. In difficult times and in difficult situations, Core Values provide direction. At times, Core Values are tough to adhere to. At TKF, we help each other live by these standards in all that we do.
Integrity - We behave with integrity
Integrity is defined as “soundness, incorruptibility and a firm adherence to a code of ethics.” Our integrity demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses in our character. People of integrity are honest and genuine in their dealings with others. People of integrity hold fast to their commitments, rather than their desires. We make many commitments to TKF, to ourselves and to our community. At TKF, we understand that at times these commitments are in conflict. At these times of conflict, we must work to remain steadfast to our true and deep commitments. We must bring these conflicts to the light and work with each other to resolve them. We strive to live a life of integrity.
Compassionate Confrontation - We believe in compassionate confrontation in a context of peace and respect
Confrontation is defined as “to bring face to face, to cause to meet, a clashing of ideas.” In the context of TKF, we believe in confrontation that occurs with compassion in order to achieve a higher understanding with mutually beneficial results. Compassionate confrontation requires compassionate listening. We understand that compassionate confrontation is a healthy ingredient to human interactions. Confrontation is honest. Confrontation creates opportunities for change. We embrace compassionate confrontation. We confront each other with a loving and compassionate intent.
Forgiveness - We forgive others and seek forgiveness
Forgiveness is defined as “the act of giving up of resentment.” At TKF, we see forgiveness as a process, starting with the acknowledgement that we have been harmed. Through this pain, we tap into the power of forgiveness, the release of resentment. Ultimately, we reach out with love and compassion to the offender. We forgive others when they have wronged us. We forgive others who have wronged someone else. We ask for our own forgiveness when we have wronged others. We will not harbor feelings of resentment after forgiveness. We acknowledge that we are all human and at times will fail in forgiveness. We help each other to forgive, to accept forgiveness and to accept each other through the process. We strive to forgive.
TKF’s Short Term Goals to be completed by September 30, 2008
1. Facilitate TKF programs in 15 districts, serving at least one district in each of the San Diego County regions.
2. Complete 25 VIF Assemblies (with Azim and/or Ples) at 25 schools and complete 50 mini VIF’s without Azim and Ples, using new “Making the Right Choice” video.
3. Fully implement the Peace Empowerment Project (PEP)
4. Facilitate TKF programs (excluding PEP) to over 15,000 students.
5. Increase our donations from individuals by expanding the number of donors, the duration of donor commitments and the size of donations in order to achieve a $650,000 per year Seeds of Hope Society.
6. Keep attrition rate at or below 20% for all Seeds of Hope Society members.
7. Increase TKF visibility by generating 300,000 unique visits to the website.
8. Keep recurring expenses below recurring income and maintain at least enough cash to cover two months of expenses.
9. Increase the short term and long term capacity of planned giving, increase awareness of endowment and raise existing community endowment dollars by 50%.
TKF’s Long Term Goals
1. Create four TKF Chapters (not separate 501c3s) throughout the country by 2013
2. Create an “Institute” for researching and testing TKF non-violence educational programs