Bond Hill residents are seeing a new kind of community service this summer. The Safe & Strong program, backed by a Keep Cincinnati Beautiful grant, brings together local youth to clean up streets, pick up trash, and learn practical skills for preventing gun violence.
Kids take the lead
Fourteen‑year‑old Jasmine Austin is one of the program’s most visible participants. “I’m out here so I can help the community and make it a better place,” she said while singing and sweeping a sidewalk with dozens of other volunteers. Jasmine’s motivation is personal – a close friend was recently shot, and she wants to stop the cycle of violence that has claimed the lives of a 14‑year‑old in East Price Hill and a 4‑year‑old in South Cumminsville.
Organizers stress that the effort is more than a neighborhood beautification project. “Cincinnati sees a lot of youth‑involved shootings and accidents,” said Cincinnati Save a Life Program Manager Alyson Wick. “What we’re doing is taking our youth away from the streets and giving them a positive, productive alternative to guns.”
Teaching safety and response
Beyond litter removal, the program includes workshops on safe firearm storage and basic first‑aid techniques. Participants learn how to apply pressure to stop bleeding and how to act as a responsible bystander when a shooting occurs. “Kids are often forced to be first responders, which is incredibly traumatizing,” Wick explained. “If they know how to buy time and help a friend, they can potentially save a life.”
Brothas Inc. President Ronnell Ellison echoed the sentiment, urging the community to “pour love into our youth and provide them with a positive and productive alternative to guns in our streets.”
Building community resilience
The Safe & Strong initiative reflects a growing trend of faith‑based and nonprofit groups stepping in where government resources are stretched thin. By engaging teens directly, the program fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility that aligns with traditional family values and the constitutional right of citizens to protect themselves and their neighbors.
For Jasmine, the experience is about setting an example. “Learn about how to prevent gun violence, and you can help better the community so we’re all together instead of drifting apart,” she said.
Organizers hope the model can be replicated in other Cincinnati neighborhoods, offering a grassroots solution that combines community pride, safety education, and tangible action.
Original reporting: WLWT Cincinnati — read the source article.
