I have ways to try to avoid the violence around me
Although violence has not directly affected my life, I still feel the effects of that steady increase of youth violence in my community. Oftentimes, people can suffer second-hand trauma from violence. Due to violence, I am limited to the places that I can go without adult supervision such as the mall, community centers and the movies.
My one encounter with violence has had a significant impact on my life. This past fall, I was with my friends and my family at a corn maze.
Gunshots suddenly rang out, people were running in every direction because no one could tell where the shots came from. People were being trampled over and running in different directions trying to avoid the shots.
I was scared because I was separated from my family during the incident. I was also very worried not knowing if any of my friends had been hurt. Because of such acts of violence, I am afraid to go to public places without the high presence of police or security.
I believe some of the causes of youth violence are poverty, lack of family support, bullying, exposure to violence, social media and lack of education. The absence of any of these can result in a person leaning towards violence to survive.
Parents are often trying to work to prevent poverty and provide a better life for their children, which leaves young people alone and at-risk of getting into trouble. When there is a lack of parental support kids may seek care from outside influences, which can generally be negative. Since we live in an era where there is social media, this can be another cause of youth violence because it increases their exposure and allows an opportunity for bullying.
Whenever there is a fight, argument, or a shooting it is posted on Facebook, Instagram and/or Snapchat so other kids can see it. The number of views and kids wanting to be popular influences young people to emulate what they see their peers do.
I choose daily to prevent youth violence by choosing to respond with my words and not my fists or weapons. I will continue to encourage my friends to do the same. I have taken a stance to inform my parents and my teachers of any possible talk or signs of violence, in my community or at school. I joined organized sports, and mentoring programs within the school, church and the community.
Also, I choose to surround myself with positive people that have the same aspirations and goals and I have. When going out in my community, I try to make sure we walk in groups in order to remain safe. I avoid drugs and alcohol, which can be a cause of violence, and I encourage others to do the same. I make sure I abide by my parents rules by avoiding violent television shows or listening to raunchy music. I also choose to not live by the phrase “snitches get stitches.”
Most importantly, I try to live by the words of Nelson Mandela: “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, his background or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can be taught hate then they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than the opposite.”
Christopher Brunt is an 8th grader at Ridgeway Middle School.