Young Philadelphians pitch social media campaigns to help curb Philadelphia gun violence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Many people in Philadelphia have seen the impact of gun violence up close and personal. Presley Barner, 18, from West Philadelphia, is one of them.
"Three years ago, my cousin was gunned down at a 7/11," Barner said. "Honestly, I still go through it today. My whole family still goes through it."
But on Monday, Presley and others like her were trying to turn that pain into change. She and five teams of more than 30 young people from across the city made their pitches for social media campaigns to get people to put down their guns. So far this year, 90 children under the age of 18 have been shot, including nine fatally.
"What we do is try to change the culture around 'Is it really cool to have a gun?' We're seeing young people go to jail and prison every day for doing retaliatory things," said Kendra Van de Water, who is the co-founder of YEAHPhilly.
The "Guns Change the Story" campaign is a partnership between local community groups, like YEAHPhilly, CHOP, Unity in the Community and more, and the national anti-violence group "Project Unloaded." Teams were given six weeks and $2,500 to produce videos showing the impact gun violence has on communities and young people.
One team focused their story on young Philadelphians dealing with the fallout of losing a parent to gun violence. Presley's YEAHPhilly team made three videos -- one focusing on trauma, another on kids playing on a basketball court and the last, a look at how a simple cookout can suddenly turn tragic.
"We're portraying some people's everyday life or what really happens in Philadelphia, and that we hopefully get people to see this is not OK," Barner said.
But the real mission of each video was to get their message across to a younger audience. Those involved with the project say social media is a major way to be able to do just that.
"In the energy we have in Philly, specifically with gun violence, it's not that easy and that comfortable to speak to someone. It's a lot easier to hit a follow or send a direct message or send a mention. It's a way of comfort," said Haziz Nelson, who helped organize the CHOP team.
"Everything you see is on Instagram. Everything you see is on TikTok. So it's important to reach people where they are," Van de Water said.
The teams presented their videos to a panel of judges at RECPhilly in Center City. The panel featured an array of people, from Norristown's Police Chief to community activists and representatives from city offices. The winner would take home $2,500 and see their video featured in Project Unloaded's national campaign.
On Monday afternoon, judges chose YEAHPhilly's videos as the winner. And for Presley, it was important to get her message out.
"We don't want to tell anybody what to do, especially me," Barner said. "But we also want people to think about their choices before you make them."
