“People think we are so young, or we don’t know what we’re talking about
but we’re the ones who are going to make a difference.”
SSC Founding member
As we shared in the last post, after the horrific shootings in Parkland, Florida, seniors at Fort Hamilton High School in Bay Ridge chose to promote school safety and advocate for increased gun regulation.
Using their new expertise, and working in partnership with Students Demand Action (SDA), an Everytown for Gun Safety initiative, the Fort Hamilton students created a school-based Student Safety Coalition (SSC), a youth-led group through which teens promote a safer school environment and raise awareness around the issue of gun violence in schools.
The students organized a multi-faceted campaign to raise awareness in their own school – including a PSA, in-class presentations, and a school assembly- and hope to inspire students around the country to start SSCs of their own. To that end, they created a How To Guide and this video. We are thrilled that Everytown has been and will continue to share these resources with young people and schools across the country through their extensive school network.
The Fort Hamilton students completed the Residency Program with a greater sense of optimism and confidence in their ability to make positive change. Though they all just graduated, these seniors worked hard to recruit younger students to take over the SSC starting in the fall. SLP and SDA will work with these new recruits to make sure the transition is seamless and that SSC becomes a permanent part of the Fort Hamilton campus.
We are beyond inspired by these young advocates!