Philadelphia teens taking action to address city's gun violence epidemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Teenagers from across Philadelphia are taking action to address the city's gun violence epidemic. Students from 14 different high schools Wednesday gathered for a first-of-its-kind safe summit.
Sixty students from different high schools in Philadelphia are using their voices to end gun violence.
"Over the years," Yasin Bah, a senior at Philadelphia High School for Girls, said, "there's been many people in my life personally who I've lost to gun violence."
On Monday, a 15-year-old Kensington high student was gunned down blocks away from Samuel Fels High School.
The district says he was the 17th student killed this academic year.
"Our students came to us saying 'We want to do something,'" said Meg Graham, the program coordinator at Philadelphia High School for Girls.
In response to the shootings, students from Philadelphia High School for Girls reached out to every school in the city, inviting their peers to join a day-long workshop Wednesday at La Salle University.
The students' original goal was to make the trip to and from school safer, but they chose to take this mission a step further.
One idea they came up with is developing their own relationship with the Philadelphia Police Department.
"As long as there's people who think this isn't a 'them' problem," Bah said, "it isn't going to be solved. It takes the whole community."
The summit encouraged students to develop action plans unique to their school community.
Follow-up meetings will be scheduled in the coming weeks.
"Our hope is that our environment and many other school environments becomes safer for everyone who goes to school," Sage Charles, a senior at Philadelphia High School for Girls, said.
A coalition of students known as S.A.F.E, or "students advocating for everyone," is spearheading the cause.
Organizers are hoping to make this first-of-its-kind S.A.F.E. summit an annual event.