Elections:

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John Bradberry at a City Council meeting in which a few residents voiced a desire to take on the project.

Coughlin outlined three variables, including runoff voting, timing of using Snapchat and TikTok.

“You can’t just do that if you want to keep your child safe,” Neal said. “If you forbid it, they’re going to sneak behind your back, and if they get in trouble they won’t come to you.” elections and number of precincts.

Instead, Neal tries to meet parents and children where they are. She knows social media is how children interact with each other, so she runs multiple workshops devoted to navigating the internet, both for parents and children.

“Most of the time it’s the adults fear that gets in the way of children’s knowledge and safety,” Neal said.

Neal said parents are grateful to be taught the “dialogue” they can have with their children on safety and exploitation.

She listed several key tips she wants parents to teach their children.

For example, Coughlin mentioned the prospect of instant runoff voting, which remains stalled in the Legislature.

Instant runoff voting provides for ballots to include “top choices” for voters, eliminating the need for a runoff election in cases where one candidate fails to garner more than 50 percent

The first, bodily autonomy, emphasizes that children get to decide who touches them. She also said parents should teach their kids to trust their instincts and understand that respect is a two-way street.

Roswell Police Department hosted the sessions as part of an ongoing partnership that Neal said started before the onset of COVID-19. The organization has hosted a few selfdefense sessions each year with the police department.

“It’s a priority for the Roswell Police Department to equip our young people with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to keep themselves safe,” Roswell Public Information Officer Tim Lupo said. “Our partnership with RevvedUp Kids who provide an excellent, of the tally. Johns Creek has already passed a measure to allow the practice if and when it clears the Legislature.

Instant runoff voting, Coughlin said, could save the city from 25 to 40 percent in election costs, and it would encourage more turnout and statistical power for voters.

Not everyone on the council was on board with the instant runoff proposal, well-received curriculum, is one of the ways we accomplish that goal for our community.” however, but they agreed it warranted further study.

Neal hopes to eventually replicate those police partnerships in nearby communities like Johns Creek, Milton and Alpharetta. She also is seeking enough funds to make the program free for all.

For every group that pays tuition, the nonprofit trains another group free of charge. The Roswell workshop offered scholarships for teenagers in need after some attendees paid the “tuition.” She also runs seminars in disadvantaged parts of the community at no cost.

The nonprofit plans to hold another self-defense and personal safety training with Roswell Police Department sometime in summer 2023.

“I'm not necessarily sold on any of it,” Mayor Bradberry said. “I do think that there is optimism to think that maybe we could save money … but again, the devil’s in the details.”