The rampant issue of concussions that has plagued football players during and after their careers has led to an increased emphasis on safety at every level and age group of the game.

At Westminster in Buckhead next week, area kids, many of whom participate in the Northside Youth Organization, will hear it from the pros themselves.

Kids & Pros, co-founded by former Atlanta Falcons Buddy Curry and Bobby Butler, will host a non-contact skills and safety camp Monday through July 21 for youths ages 7 to 13 that will focus as much on playing football prudently as it will on playing it well.

To that end, on July 20, the camp will feature Harold King from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Westminster athletic trainer Lauren Carter, who will host a seminar on concussive injuries, recognition and symptoms. That segment will be open to any parents and coaches, regardless of whether their children or players are in the camp itself.

Bill Carkhuff began volunteering with the program in 2009 after his son Jonathan, who played quarterback at Lovett, played Curry’s son Jessel’s team, Buford, in 2009. The two fathers became friends, and Carkhuff has been active with the group ever since.

“On the field, we’re going to put very special emphasis on the tackling drills, how you keep your head out of the way,” Carkhuff said. “A good component of the camp is going to be avoiding head and neck injuries. We thought it was a necessary quality component that we could add to the camp product. It offers something to the parents, as well as the coaches and community.”

Kids & Pros was founded in 2002 when Curry moved back to Georgia in 2001 from North Carolina and was inspired by a camp Butler was holding with fellow former players.

They decided the program would be about more than just football.

“We talked to kids about football fundamentals and we also taught them life lessons through a set of values or principles,” said Curry, a former linebacker who was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1980. “Each day one of the NFL players would share a life experience to the kids and the parents.”

Since then, Kids & Pros has become a nonprofit and held camps all over the Southeast, mixing youngsters with seasoned NFL veterans for a unique experience.

Several other former NFL players will also be running the show at next week’s camp, including Eric Matthews, Robert Hicks, Floyd Hodge, Ken Oxendine, Robert Moore and Chris Slade.

The former pros know they hold considerable weight with youngsters.

“I really understood the tremendous influence that coaches have with kids,” Curry said of his decision to get involved.

Information: visit www.kidsandpros.com.