Recently, the gun violence prevention organization Not Another Child (NAC) held a graduation for participants of their East Harlem Leadership Academy. The event celebrated 12 young men and women for completing the 14-week violence prevention program funded by a $20,000 grant from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
NAC was one of eight community-based organizations in Manhattan that received funding from the D.A.’s office to design a violence prevention program, and it was their second year running the program.
The program consisted of twice weekly workshops focused on personal and professional development. The participants, aged 18 to 24, had either been involved in the criminal justice system, or been affected by violence. The participants were awarded $1,500 stipends upon completion of the program.
Justin Napper, NAC’s director of youth and young adult services, explained that the workshop topics ran from self-awareness and social awareness to financial literacy and resume writing. The staff also connected participants to resources for jobs and educational opportunities.
This year, NAC also put an emphasis on taking the participants on trips outside of East Harlem, including to the Museum of Modern Art and Six Flags.
“[There] was a smorgasbord of different places that we took them to… where they could just be plain old them. They didn’t have to worry about the normal feelings that we get on an everyday basis because we are in the same community where our trauma [is] in front of us,” Napper explained.
After being presented with their certificates, participants of the program spoke to AmNews about their experiences in the program.
Romin Calletano, 22, joined the program shortly after losing a friend to gun violence.
“I was going through a lot mentally and emotionally. So doing the program, it helped me control my emotions and the problems I was going through,” he said.
“He was just a young man trying to pivot in some of his decision-making,” Napper said of Calletano. “And the more time we spent with each other, the more he realized the power within himself. He also realized that we were going to be his support system.”
Calletano said he is now planning to enroll in an OSHA 30 training program and hopes to get a job working in security.
“Right now, I’m in a good place. Everything is alright for right now. I need to keep my head up,” he said.
Lauren Jones, 19, lost both her twin brother and the father of her child to gun violence a few months before joining the program. She valued the honest conversations and sense of community facilitated through the workshops.
“I could really connect to my peers more so I know that I’m not alone in certain experiences,” she said. “Learning and talking to other people helps you understand that you have a good support system around you.”
Other participants said the program encouraged them to re-engage with school.
“I feel like if I had never got in the program, I would never have gotten back into school,” said Jeffery Davis, 20. Having recently enrolled in a GED program, he’s also making plans to attend college.
Staff from the Manhattan D.A.’s office also spoke at the event.
“Not Another Child is really doing some impactful, life-changing work… I can see the change in each and every one of you,” Sareve Lawson, the deputy director for the prevention of hate crimes, told the participants.
“Don’t let this graduation be the end of your development in self and investment in self,” she added.
In that vein, NAC plans to stay engaged with the participants through biweekly meetings.
“We look at it as a lifelong relationship,” Napper said.
NAC recently received funding from the Pinkerton Foundation to run a year-long version of the program, which Napper said will begin this December.
NAC’s founder, Oresa Napper-Williams closed the graduation by speaking about her son, Andrell, whose death by gun violence inspired her to start the organization.
“I can’t bring my son back, I can only fight for you guys to have what you deserve,” she said. “I thank you all for not taking advantage of the opportunity, [and] for learning all that you can learn, for becoming greater than what anybody would expect of you, for becoming greater than what you would expect for yourselves.”
Shannon Chaffers is a Report for America corps member and writes about gun violence for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.