Community
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Free253 – Community Reinvestment Project Spotlight
Free253 is one 30 By/For Black, Latine, and Indigenous Kin organizations in Pierce County recommended by the Pierce County Local Advisory Team to receive funding through the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Community Reinvestment Project.
GTCF contracted with Commerce to convene the Pierce County Local Advisory Team and deliver funding based on their recommendations. You can read more about this partnership here.
GTCF reached out to Emily Slagle, Executive Director, Free253 to learn more about their organization and how this Community Reinvestment Project funding is helping accelerate their work in Pierce County.
What inspired the creation of your organization/movement?
FREE253 was created because too many young people in Tacoma were navigating violence, incarceration, and trauma alone. We saw students caught in cycles of harm—not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked consistent, trusted support. FREE253 exists to be that presence.
Built on the belief that Being Present Matters, our initiative connects students with caring adults who show up—every day, in every space—offering mentorship, advocacy, and stability.
What is a challenge – or opportunity – your organization/movement is addressing or trying to create solutions for?
FREE253 addresses the growing challenge of youth violence and disconnection. Many of our students are impacted by court involvement, gang activity, grief, and systemic inequities. The opportunity lies in showing up with compassion and consistency—creating solutions rooted in belonging, not punishment. We’re building a culture where young people know that Being Present Matters—that their lives, voices, and futures matter, and that they don’t have to navigate hardship alone.
While we’re proud of the growth we’re seeing, we also acknowledge the challenges. A few students have recently made choices that resulted in time spent in juvenile detention. Still, our support continues—we remain present with services and check-ins to ensure they feel seen, supported, and connected. Additionally, the recent surge in youth violence across Tacoma has deeply affected both our students and our team. Many of our young people are grieving, navigating trauma, or living with heightened fear—and our staff are carrying the emotional weight of walking alongside them.
What makes our support meaningful is that students often see themselves in the FREE253 staff—many of whom bring lived experience and cultural alignment to the work. That sense of belonging is foundational to healing, trust, and sustained engagement.
What is an example of the actions, programs, or projects of your organization/movement?
Our work takes many forms: court support, home visits, school re-engagement, healing circles, or simply being in the right place at the right time.
One example is FREE YA MIND, a student-centered leadership program that gives young men a dedicated space to grow in life skills, emotional intelligence, and personal leadership. Sessions begin with an Action or Word of the Day and explore values like accountability, integrity, and forgiveness through meaningful dialogue. Students are not only reflecting on these values—they’re applying them in real time, holding each other accountable and resolving conflicts thoughtfully, often without staff prompting. FREE YA MIND is a direct response to what students have asked for: safe spaces that affirm them and remind them that Being Present Matters—for themselves and each other.
How can funding – like what was delivered through the Community Reinvestment Project – help accelerate the work of Free253?
This work requires consistency, compassion, and time—none of which are possible without adequate resources. Funding allows us to be present in the most critical moments: in classrooms, at court hearings, during home visits, or in a circle of peers processing loss. It sustains the staff, supplies, and partnerships that make FREE253 and FREE YA MIND possible. Continued investment helps us hold the line for students when the world around them feels unsteady—because Being Present Matters.