Students from 14 Philly schools to meet and discuss solutions to stop violence
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Students from 14 different Philadelphia schools will meet to discuss solutions to stop the violence at the first-of-its-kind S.A.F.E. Summit.
The summit was born from the idea of a Philadelphia High School For Girls freshman. It will bring together more than 60 students from 14 different schools.
"We consistently became more concerned," said Lisa Mesi, the principal of the Girls' High, who helped organize the event.
Mesi says a growing part of her job and many others working in education is helping students navigate the trauma of gun violence.
"It is happening," Mesi said. "It is a part of their daily life."
On Monday, a 15-year-old Kensington High student was shot blocks away from Samuel Fels High School.
School district officials say he is the 17th student killed this academic year.
"Who really has their finger on the pulse of this more than anyone else in the city? The kids do," Mesi said.
It's why principal Mesi encouraged her students to brainstorm ways to be part of the solution, and how the students advocating for everyone or S.A.F.E Summit originated.
"I was always someone who believed in student voice and we never get enough of it," Mesi said.
Students from Girls' High took the lead to reach out to every school in Philadelphia – inviting their peers to join a day-long workshop at La Salle University to tackle issues like getting to and from school safely and processing the emotional toll.
"They watch these things unfold with the lens that we don't have as adults," Mesi said.
Students will be encouraged to develop action plans to take back with them with follow-up meetings to be scheduled in the coming weeks.
"The answers lie in them and if we don't give them the space to have these conversations, we are never going to find a solution," Mesi said.
Enrollment for Wednesday's summit is closed but Mesii says her goal is to make this an annual event.
