KNOXVILLE, Tennessee — Sunday kicks off Youth Violence Awareness Week and some local organizations are stepping up to make sure that young voices are amplified, heard by the whole community.
Organizers said they know the impact the week can, following the deaths of four Knoxville teenagers due to gun violence.
“It hits closer to home because we've lost so many students within our community,” said Devonte Porter from YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley.
Community organizations are stepping up to make sure kids are heard, their pain felt and that they have a chance to make a call to move forward.
“They know that awareness is needed," Porter said. "They know that changes have to be made. But I'm happy that the children at the Phyllis Whitney Center are at the forefront of that movement."
The YWCA will host a full week of events from dancing, rapping, poetry and conversations surrounding gun violence in the city.
They’re not alone. The Change Center will also kick off the week with a block party on Sunday, all in hopes of less talk and more action.
“We can't just keep listening — we have to follow up with action," said Dr. Nicole Chandle, Executive Director of the Change Center. "And I think we, as the adults in the community, that's our responsibility."
She said that the events will be part of an effort to make sure the work is purposeful and that it means something so that it doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
“We're going to have to be more intentional with making sure our babies have access to support,” said Dr. Chandler.
During the event, the city’s youth will have a chance to make a statement — that violence won’t be tolerated.
“They want to make the community safer. They want to be safer in school. They want to be able to focus on their education, and those are things that they are not able to do currently,” said Porter.
Community leaders said that working together is the only way forward, to prevent more deaths due to gun violence.
“Turn over our community flowerbeds in the back, and ultimately turn over a new leaf in our community, to shine brighter light and make it more helpful and show that the community can come together,” Porter said.
They said that collaboration is the key to solving the Knoxville community's problems with gun violence.
“We strongly believe that collaboration is important because no single entity can do it alone,” Dr. Chandler said.