While Strides for Peace’s annual Race Against Gun Violence is a way for grassroots gun violence prevention organizations to raise money, its second annual gun violence prevention expo allows these organizations to connect with each other — and with young people.
At the University of Illinois Chicago’s Dorin Forum on Nov. 21, the expo’s theme will be “Legacy of Leadership: Inspiring the Next Generation to Rise.” A large portion of the event aims to connect high school students with young adult leaders who funnel their passion for gun violence prevention into their communities.
About 200 Chicago public school students — including those from Austin Career and College Academy High School, Michele Clark Academic Prep Magnet High School, John Marshall Metropolitan High School in East Garfield Park, and North Lawndale High School — will attend the first half of the expo, featuring a panel discussion with friends of Blair Holt, a 16-year-old who was shot on a CTA bus in 2007, and Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old shot in 2013.
The panel discussion speakers are leaders in their communities, and in their 20s or 30s, according to Joel Hamernick, Strides for Peace’s executive director.
“When they were in high-school, [they] were impacted the way that many of the students in the room are currently experiencing,” Hamernick said. “But these young adult leaders went and did something, something responsive, something to create safety, to be healthy, something positive.”
Then, students will go into breakout sessions. These will include the likes of a hands-on “Stop the Bleed” training and youth-led peace circles.
Students will also participate in a community showcase, where mentors lead groups in discussing ideas around school safety and public health.
After students leave, the second half of the event looks like a typical expo. There will be a resource fair of about 50 tables of gun violence prevention foundations, organizations offering relevant support and training, and career development groups.
This year’s expo participants include West Side organizations such as BUILD, Breakthrough, YMEN, and New Life Centers.
These organizations will get to network with each other and expo attendees.
“Having done this work for more than 20 years myself, you end up being very nose-to-the-sidewalk. You’re very focused on what you’re doing in your neighborhood,” Hamernick said. “These organizations often operate kind of in silos.”
An expo like this helps inform organizations of the breadth of work going on in their communities, and helps to lift spirits, too.
“The violence itself becomes so all-encompassing as the story that it’s easy to miss all of this other work that’s going on around the community,” Hamernick previously told Austin Weekly News.
“There’s also a psychological benefit to it,” Hamernick said of the expo. “It’s just fundamentally encouraging to know that there are a lot of other people in this work that care about these things.”
The expo is free to attend. Booth registration is $500 and can be purchased at https://lu.ma/03z9kmgu.
Strides for Peace’s Gun Violence Prevention Expo is at UIC’s Dorin Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Rd., on Nov. 21st from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.