Hartford teens gave up part of their summer to participate in a gun violence prevention program for several weeks. The program is a partnership between Hartford Communities That Care, Yale School of Public Health, and Project Unloaded, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that employs young people to prevent gun violence through education, storytelling, and community action.

Program Details

Over six weeks, 50 teens aged 13-17 worked on social media campaigns that convey the message ‘guns make us less safe.’ One of the teens, 13-year-old Jayce Hayes, said, ‘Since I’ve gotten examples and I’ve been hit with facts and research, now it’s like you can’t really go against it. You just have to accept that guns are not the way to go.’ Hayes explained a video he made for his campaign, ‘rewrite the narrative.’ Another campaign is called ‘Our Future, Our Voices.’ 16-year-old Mayah Clarke said, ‘We’re the next generation, so it’s like it’s really up to us to change everything.’ Clarke said she grew up around guns and was taught they were used for protection, but the statistics she learned disprove that.

According to police data, out of the 33 shootings in Hartford from January to the end of May this year, only 6% of victims and suspects are under 17. The majority are between the ages of 25 and 44. Eddie Brown, the head of strategic initiatives with Hartford Communities That Care, said the program is meant to target a young age group, so they’ll carry those lessons with them as they get older.

Presenting Their Work

The teens are set to present their social media campaigns at a showcase on Friday. Jayce Hayes said, ‘I understand now the dangers of gun violence and I just have a lot more insight on how it is and what to be more careful for.’ Mayah Clarke added, ‘it’s our choice to pick which side we want to stand on, either against it or with it.’ The program ends this week, and the kids are presenting their social media campaigns this Friday.

Original reporting: NBC Connecticut — read the source article.