After hosting a community brainstorming session earlier this month to discuss solutions to problems such as youth violence in the city, NextGen Fort Dodge began to plan another community event to welcome kids and their families.

NextGen is a community organization with about 15 members who work with local at-risk youth in many capacities. It was created in May in response to multiple acts of gun violence that left two 18-year-old men dead. The members came together in search of tangible solutions to help break the cycle of violence and empower the youth of Fort Dodge.

The group’s first official outreach event will be a free community barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 8 at Oleson Park.

“We wanted to do something that would get everyone together and be a positive light where kids and families would be welcome,” said Paige Williams, one of the founders of NextGen. “We want people to come out and get to know each other, establish those relationships in the community that maybe they wouldn’t normally be able to establish.”

The event will feature a free meal (while supplies last), a photo booth, the Oleson Park Splash Pad, park and yard games and music.

Sponsors of the event include Prestage Foods of Iowa, Target in Fort Dodge, Honor Roll Enterprises, Tailored Yard Signs, Northern Lights and Mid-Iowa Development Association/Dodger Area Rapid Transit.

NextGen aims to make its events accessible to all in the community, especially those who may have limited transportation options. To help, it has partnered with DART bus to offer rides from two pick-up locations — Duncombe Elementary School, 1620 Sixth Ave. N., and the Early Childhood Center, 104 S. 17th St.

Pickup will be at 11 a.m. and drop-off will be at 2 p.m., and the bus will make two trips if needed, Williams said.

“We tried to pick the most populated areas, and Duncombe and the ECC felt like they would be good to start with,” she said. “And with Oleson so close to Butler Elementary, that’s another populated area, but they’re within walking distance.”

NextGen is planning more community events throughout the summer, Williams said. The group is also looking at possibly purchasing a building to establish a permanent facility for meetings and other family outreach.