7th grade power, violence prevention
The 7th and 8th grade Student Council leaders of Samuel Gompers Elementary School organized a gun violence prevention program on November 12, 2019. Students initiated the idea, invited elected officials, and prepared excellent questions to spark meaningful dialogue. Students asked: How can we make things safer? What mental health services are available to help people who have been shot or witnessed gun violence? What advice would you give to someone who has had a bad experience with gun violence?
There was discussion about trauma-informed trainings for schools and staff, ACES early childhood adversities research www.philadelphiaaces.org , making neighborhoods safer, adding innovative positions like school greeters at the door to check IDs, metal detectors pros and cons, and life stories of people affected by gun violence. There were concrete suggestions made plus students were applauded for convening community conversations.
As a guest Counselor, I encouraged students to “Give yourself permission to modify your routine and find a safe space to let out the feelings. If there was a drive-by at Grandma’s house, try alternating houses. If you had a bad experience in a certain street, maybe you choose a different street when you walk home from school. Turn the loud sounds on the screen off.”
When diverse stakeholders such as students, teachers, administrators, City Council, nonprofits, and nonprofits come together for a common cause, to discuss safety and to support students, this represents a win-win. When multiple stakeholders address gun violence, an integrated model of emerges and makes the community conversations far more effective.
Pennsylvania State Representatives Morgan Cephas, Movita Johnson-Harrell, and Jordan Harris served as panelists, along with Senator Vincent Hughes, School Principal Phillip Deluca, and Community School Coordinator Rennie Parker of the Mayor’s Office. Even as Representative Johnson-Harrell resigns from office, she is recognized for her efforts to reduce gun violence (McDaniel, J. Couloumbis, A. The Philadelphia Inquirer, December 4, 2019). Panelists replied to students’ questions and begged students to ask for help from a trusted adult if they felt hopeless. “Keep organizing community programs like this one,” officials said and “rest assured leaders are working hard to prevent gun violence” explained elected officials.
According to Student Council leaders, the goals of the school Town Hall were “to leave attendees feeling empowered, heard, and wanting to make a difference.” The program accomplished these goals. The next generation of leaders suggested that gun violence is about valuing life, yours and others, not just about two narrow political gun views. To decrease gun violence, we have to feel our feelings, ask for help, consider families, economics, and increase student opportunities. Idle time and easy access makes for more violence.
When asked who in the room knew someone who had been shot, every hand was raised. Counselors reminded students, “it is normal if things feel different, ask for help from a trusted adult or friend, and know you are not alone.” According to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, “82% of homicides involve firearms. In 2016, there were 247 homicides with firearms, or a 17% increase from 2013” (Farley, F. Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Volume 2, №10, Sept 2017). Teens and young adults, particularly minority males, are the population most affected by firearms in Philadelphia, and 2/5 of suicides involve firearms.
There are multiple policies that can decrease gun violence and improve the quality of life, such as background checks, removing ammunition from store shelves during high-purchasing times such as New Years Eve and July 4th holidays, ensuring industry accountability, holding gun manufacturers responsible for their weapons, allowing better reporting via The Initiative for Better Gun Violence Reporting and Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists https://www.ceasefirepa.org/general-interest/philadelphia-shooting-victims-dashboard, increasing funding for community mental health services, advocating in Harrisburg, and restoring schools as educational facilities. We need to reframe the narrative of guns in terms of public health protocols and forgo acting as if it is a narrow binary conundrum.
Conversations about gun violence tend to squash voices and advance political agendas rather than address the tough issues with relevant data. Gun violence and the killing of innocent youth is bewildering, and Philadelphia has a bad rap for violence and poverty but this Gomphers Elementary School after-school program defied negativity and shined incredible light. It pays to notice that we do have answers to many of society’s problems but sadly there are often barriers inserted to avert the solutions. This student program demonstrated how dialogue, asking questions, and making space for marginalized voices to rise can successfully grow our next generation of leaders. When courageous youth step up, powerful answers emerge plus we avoid silos. This is an excellent model of community based action and it must be replicated.
