Chicago Teens Share Concerns About Crime and Gun Violence in "Don't Shoot, I Want to Grow Up"

This summer, students in the Columbia Links high school journalism and news literacy program at Columbia College Chicago wrote about violence, fears and their hopes for their city to be a safe place to live. The resulting letters, compiled into a booklet titled, ?Don?t Shoot, I Want to Grow Up,? detail student fears about gangs, domestic violence, neighborhood safety, crime and perceptions about Chicago.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) August 28, 2012

Twenty-two students in the Columbia Links high school journalism and news literacy program at Columbia College Chicago this summer wrote about their fears and hopes for their city to be a safe place to live. The resulting letters, compiled into a booklet titled, ?Don?t Shoot, I Want to Grow Up,? available at columbialinks.org, details student fears about gangs, domestic violence, neighborhood safety and perceptions about Chicago.

The idea for the publication came from reporter Celia Daniels, a Columbia Links mentor. Daniels said she observed that many of the high school students' applications to be considered for the program expressed an urgent desire to write about the violence enveloping them.

Excerpts from the teen essays, which include students across Chicago, include a quote from a student who compares Chicago to Iraq, because it feels like he?s living in a war zone. Another student says it?s difficult to be proud of her city and invite others to visit. Several suggest there are negative tourism implications as a result of all the neighborhood violence.

These quotes show the impact of violence on the young author?s lives:

• "Chicago is also known as 'Chi-Raq' to my friends because it feels as if the streets are at war.?--Raymond Roundtree, 17, a sophomore at Options Laboratory School who lives on the South Side.

• "I love my city, but I'm finding it harder to defend it."--Taylor Nazon, 17, a senior at Trinity High School who lives in Beverly.
• "Living each day as if it were my last."--Asia Williams, 15, a sophomore at Westinghouse College Preparatory Academy who lives in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
• "I don't want to be scared."-- Diamond Trusty, 15, a junior at Prosser Career Academy who lives on the West Side.
• "I don't want to be next."--Victoria Susberry, 14, a freshman at Lindblom Math and Science Academy who lives in Beverly.

Columbia Links students hope to present the booklet to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Chief Garry McCarthy in the coming weeks. ?Don?t Shoot, I Want to Grow Up,? is viewable online at the Columbia Links website, http://www.columbialinks.org, and in hard copy by contacting Links Executive Director Brenda Butler at bbutler(at)colum(dot)edu or (312)369-8993.

The Columbia Links program, founded in 2006, is primarily funded by the McCormick Foundation, with additional support from the Dow Jones News Fund.

Columbia College Chicago is an urban institution that offers innovative degree programs in the visual, performing, media and communication arts to nearly 12,000 students in more than 120 undergraduate and graduate programs. An arts and media college committed to a rigorous liberal arts curriculum, Columbia is dedicated to opportunity and excellence in higher education. For further information, visit http://www.colum.edu.

Erin Purdy
Columbia College Chicago
(312) 369-8695
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chicago-teens-share-concerns-crime-gun-violence-dont-133032934.html

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