About 50 Chicago teenagers spent the summer season being shocked by statistics about weapons and violence, realizing a lot of their assumptions have been fallacious, and arising with a social media marketing campaign to attempt to unfold what that they had discovered.
Among the teenagers say they have been stunned that stats present few of their friends even have weapons — many assumed extra younger individuals have been “packing” than truly are. Additionally they believed that having a gun makes them safer, which statistics present it doesn’t.
This system is a partnership between town of Chicago’s summer season jobs packages, group organizations and Challenge Unloaded, a nationwide nonprofit that goals to chip away at myths about weapons.
On Friday, teenagers from every web site — Al Raby Faculty for Neighborhood and Surroundings, Breakthrough City Ministries and The Ark of St. Sabina — pitched their campaigns to advert executives, town’s deputy mayor of public security and others. The marketing campaign deemed the perfect will likely be featured on Challenge Unloaded’s social media channels.
WBEZ visited the teenagers within the East Garfield Park program. They determined to middle their social media marketing campaign round the concept that in case you carry a gun, you’re a “goofy.”
Kingston Tate, a sophomore at Lindblom School Prep, mentioned his group wished to get throughout that many teenagers are “tricked” or “performed” as a result of they get a gun below false assumptions.
Lauren Brown, a Kenwood Academy freshman, defined that they selected the phrase ‘goofy’ as a result of “youngsters use the phrase ‘goofy’” to mainly say someone’s a follower, otherwise you’re gullible, simply influenced,” she mentioned.
“So we use it for our marketing campaign to indicate that in case you personal a gun, you’re ‘goofy’ — you’re simply influenced by what you see.”
Sarah Karp covers schooling for WBEZ. Comply with her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter.
