Session 2: Do You See Me? How Systems of Care Can Wrap Around Youth and Families Impacted by Gang and Gun Violence

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), youth previously involved with the juvenile justice system had up to 23 times the firearm mortality rate of the general population. Black children accounted for 46 percent of gun deaths in 2021, even though they are only 14 percent of the U.S. under-18 population. Put more simply: Black children are five times as likely to die from gunfire as their White peers. This series will focus on how grass-roots care systems can wrap around youth and families impacted by gang and gun violence. So often, we blame gangs, and we forget that systemic racism is the root cause. In this Heart Work Series, participants will hear from first responders who are not traditionally funded by systems of care and are doing the most vital work, including faith-based, mental health, substance use treatment, peer support, research, and street outreach perspectives.

A Heart Work Series is an intimate, guided, conversation around the important and sometimes misunderstood impact of systemic racism the mental health, wellness, and safety of a community. Facilitated by Change Consultant Evelyn Clark, this panel will feature four unique perspectives from front line mental health and young adult professionals working directly with gang-impacted communities.

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