Latest news with #youthprogram
CBS News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
NYC program trains at-risk youth in filmmaking to "flip the script" on gun violence
In a city that saw a 136% increase in minors arrested with a gun from 2018 to 2024, a unique effort is underway to empower some of those young people to put their lives on a new path. The New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice runs "Flip the Script," a 40-week program that trains at-risk teens and young adults, often with gun charges, in filmmaking. The 18- to 24-year-old participants, mainly from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the South Bronx, are paid $20 an hour. One of those teens, KJ Campbell, lost his father and two brothers to gun violence. The 19-year-old was also arrested in 2023 for illegal gun possession. Campbell says that while in jail, he realized he needed to change the course of his life, "I see how people in there talk, the way they move, I don't wanna be like them." Soon after Campbell's release from jail, he enrolled in "Flip the Script," which sparked his passion for filmmaking. "I feel like this program could get me way far than I'm supposed to be … because I know I've got talent," said Campbell. He now plans to pursue a career as a film director. Samantha Kleinfield, the Office of Criminal Justice's executive director, created the program in 2021 to help combat gun violence. So far this year, 14% of shooting suspects in New York City are minors, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and 14% of all shooting victims are also under the age of 18. "We were looking at innovative ways to address the rising gun violence and gang violence in New York City," said Kleinfield. "Filmmaking is seen as the transformative power of the arts to be able to process the trauma that a lot of these kids have experienced." Entertainment industry professionals mentor the participants and teach them hard and soft skills needed to launch their careers. One of the mentors, Aaron Jones, urges his mentees to adopt a new mindset: "It's cool to be positive and to do something with your life, instead of just throwing it away." The 12-person crew is expected to finish their project this summer — a short film about gun violence that will premiere at a movie theater and be entered into next year's Tribeca Film Festival. The office aims to establish a pipeline that leads from the program to full-time jobs. Since its inception in 2021, over 60 people have graduated from the program and 70% of them are still employed. Kleinfield has an even bigger vision for the participants long term, saying, "I want to see them at the Academy Awards."
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Philadelphia families react to sudden shutdown of Job Corps, which provides job training, education
A longtime federal program designed to give young people a second chance through job training is now on the chopping block. The U.S. government plans to shut down Job Corps centers across the country by June 30, and some Philadelphia-area students and graduates are expressing concern. Before joining Job Corps, 17-year-old Sincere Shaw said his future was uncertain. "I didn't know what I was going to do, I was skipping class," Shaw said. That changed when he was accepted into the carpentry track of the program. The federally funded initiative established in the 1960s helps teens and young adults earn a high school diploma while receiving hands-on job training in fields ranging from plumbing to health care. Shaw said he was just months away from graduating and said for the first time, he was thriving. "I just feel like it's a big difference for me, and I really love it here, and I hope it [doesn't] change," he said. But recently, everything changed. Shaw says his program email, payment card and account access were all deactivated without explanation. His mother is devastated. "To wake up one day and — no more Job Corps? It's like really bad," said Tamica Shaw, Sincere's mother. "I don't want my son to return back to these streets for no reason." The U.S. Department of Labor says officials conducted a transparency report analyzing the program's results in 2023 and cited serious safety incidents, high costs and a graduation rate of just under 39%. Officials say they will help current students transition, but families say they've been left in the dark. "You never know where these children come from. And now it's like, close the door and put them back in the streets," Tamica Shaw said. The news is also troubling to program graduates who say Job Corps changed the trajectory of their lives. "I was a problem child," said 38-year-old Charles Marshall, who graduated from the program in 2004. Now 38, Marshall is self-employed in the construction industry. "It kind of made me more responsible," he said. Armstead King, who works with students entering Job Corps, said he worries about the consequences of ending the program. "I think it will be a really misfortune to the community," King said.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
1 dead in shooting on Bronx playground
One person was killed Friday in a shooting on a playground in the Bronx. This comes as a youth gun violence prevention program in the borough is losing a big portion of its funding from the Department of Justice. Shooting sent children running for safety, witnesses say The shooting happened around 12:45 p.m. on a playground at the intersection of Crotona Park East and East 173rd Street. Police said the victim was shot in the head and pronounced dead at the scene. His age is unknown at this time. Witnesses described a chaotic scene with children running for safety. According to police, two suspects were seen running away. The shooting happened in the New York City Police Department's 42nd Precinct, which has been a target of enforcement for the NYPD. Just this week, they announced it will be one of their summer safety zones, where they will deploy additional officers on foot in an effort to drive down violence. Bronx gun violence prevention program helps first-time offenders According to the NYPD, there were 48 shooting victims and 40 shooters under 18 in the Bronx last year, compared to 28 victims and 17 shooters so far this year. "Youth gun violence in the Bronx was very heavy, and that's one of the reasons why the BOGAP program came about," said Maurice de Frietas, program manager for the Bronx Osborne Gun Accountability and Prevention program (BOGAP). BOGAP helps young people in the borough who have first-time felony offenses with a firearm. "Young people who are arrested for possession and that's it. It can't be in conjunction with another crime," de Frietas said. "The program actually helps support our young people from staying out of trouble, changing their ways and actions, and think about doing positive things." Officials say participants who successfully complete the intense year-long program get the felony charge dropped. "Their felonies are actually dismissed completely and sealed," de Frietas said. "This gives young people the opportunity to actually regain their lives." Program suffers layoffs, cutbacks due to lost funding Since the program started in 2021, there have been 52 graduates with an 80% success rate, saving a combined 104 years of incarceration. But one-third of the program's federal funding was recently cut from the DOJ, impacting staff, one-on-one counseling and meals for the youth. "It has already impacted the program severely. There's been cuts to staff, layoffs," de Frietas said. The DOJ told CBS News New York discretionary funds that are not aligned with the administration's priorities are subject to review and reallocation. "When you're providing a program, a second chance to people that don't have the guidance or wasn't thinking right at the time, maybe you could save somebody," said 23-year-old Bryan Baez, who went through the program after getting caught carrying a gun. He hopes others can get a second chance like he did. "This program taught me ways to handle my anger differently, ways to handle life differently," he said.
CBS News
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
DJ program at school in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood is inspiring kids' passions
A staff member at a school in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood is known for keeping the kids safe during the day — but after school, he is teaching them what it means to be a top-notch DJ. And his program could be in jeopardy. It's not every day that students find their rhythm between school and life. But Terrion Swell and Isaac Harris — both sixth graders at Parker Community Academy, 6800 S. Stewart Ave. — are on the right track. CBS News Chicago met the boys as they hooked up a Numark Mixtream Pro DJ console. As the boys got the system going, Robert Blissitt made sure they knew the proper names of the cords they were attaching and the steps to get the system started. Blissitt is a security guard at Parker, but the is much more to students like Terrion and Isaac. He is their note of inspiration — a DJ mentor they call Mr. B. Four days a week for two hours after school, Mr. B, a professional DJ himself, teaches students like Terrion and Isaac how to beat-match, mix, and cue on a controller. The lessons are part of a program sponsored by Youth Guidance. In return, the students get so much more. "The DJ program is, I think, working because it is transferring over into the classroom," said Blissitt. Mr. B said a year ago, Terrion was high-strung and a regular in detention. That's all changed. "I had goosebumps the last time I DJ'ed," Terrion said. Now, Terrion is more confident and focused, and aceing classes. "Terrion is not beating on lockers anymore," said Blissitt. "Terrion is actually, if you ask him, he has become more popular." But there is a chance that Mr. B's DJ program could be cut. The program is possible right now thanks to a state funding grant, but with budget cuts threatening afterschool programs across Chicago, Mr. B's lessons could be dropped next. "If anyone is listening to this, this is a program you want to keep in a school — because kids love music already," said Blissitt. For Terrion and Isaac, they wouldn't be in the program if Mr. B didn't see their potential. "It's pretty cool," said Isaac. "He's a chill guy. He's a chill teacher." "I'm still learning, yeah," added Terrion. "I've only been here for like a year and half, I believe." And the boys' eagerness to learn is the perfect mix to keep the beat going. "Sometimes, we've got to reach out on the other side, and see who they really are outside of the books," said Blissitt. Terrion and Isaac will perform Wednesday night in front of hundreds at the Youth Guidance Gala. Mr. B said there are a dozen other students who want to participate in his afterschool program too.
CBS News
27-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
New Community Outreach uses peace circles to help young people in Bronzeville build relationships
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to gun violence in Chicago, but New Community Outreach is trying a less traditional technique that has seen growth and success. The bell that sounds and the lessons taught on the third floor of the Bronzeville Scholastic Institute aren't exactly traditional. "In the beginning of the year, some students were very apprehensive about what this space was," said circle keeper Hope Hammond. Instead of textbooks you'll find a nesting doll, baby Yoda and magic wand. "These are our talking pieces," said Sonia Wang, executive director of New Community Outreach. Her nonprofit's Knowledge Empowers Youth program, known as KEY, utilizes peace circles to show young people how to build relationships. They learn to trust each other, resolve conflicts, remain open to different perspectives and more. "Coming out of the pandemic, I know we talk about that a lot, these were skills that were missing," said Dr. Demetria Richardson-Starks, principal at Bronzeville Scholastic Institute. "They didn't know how to have face-to-face conversations or disagreements if that came about. They didn't know how to deal with those things." Richardson-Stark said the KEY program has filled a void at her school. Senior Janessa Savage agrees. "By the time you're done with your program for the first year, you're more vulnerable, you got a better connection, a better community with the people that you're around," she said. Savage is now a peace circle intern. "You're going through all the emotions: happy, sad, love. it feels like you feel seen in the circle," she said. In 2022, CBS News Chicago showed you the peace circle process happening inside the church that houses New Community Outreach. Since then, donations have helped the KEY program, which also includes bond-building games, expand into multiple high schools. They are focusing, very intentionally, on the Bronzeville neighborhood. "Community violence and systems of oppression has kind of been the undergird of its story," Wang said. "And in order for the people in that community to be able to move forward to flourish, I think it's important that we activate the power that's within us." The restorative justice approach is why this class looks and feels different than others. "It's symbolic of like, unity and we are here in this space together," Hammond said. The hope is to create more meaningful moments starting at a younger age. New Community Outreach recently ran a pilot with third graders that went so well, the plan is to add second graders to the roster next year. CBS News Chicago has partnered with Strides for Peace as the media sponsor for Chicago's Race Against Gun Violence in Grant Park on June 5. Click here for more information on the fundraiser, how to sign up and our coverage of participating nonprofits.
