ATLANTA — There’s a renewed call for peace among young people in the metro Atlanta area after a 14-year-old stands accused of shooting and killing two other teens.
Channel 2’s Lori Wilson spoke with Dr. Maya Taylor, Director of the Arrow National Youth Program, a peace education program, about the issue of youth violence and how her organization works to prevent it.
“Our children at this moment are crying out to us for this moment,” Taylor said. “They are crying out for the attention of the village.”
Taylor is the founder of the Arrow National Youth Program.
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For the last 14 years, the organization has worked to teach peace and social, mental and financial health to young people in an effort to prevent events like those metro Atlanta has experienced in the past week.
In the City of South Fulton, a 14-year-old was accused of shooting and killing two other teenagers.
In Atlanta, a 19-year-old is accused of killing a 7-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting.
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“Children are going to play,” Taylor told Channel 2 Action News. “But we have to teach them how to play in peace.”
This summer, Taylor will host a “Play for Peace” camp, giving children in grades six through 12 an outlet she said they desperately need.
The camp will include sessions about conflict resolution, building leadership skills, a youth summit, and will even teach soccer with FIFA just around the corner in Atlanta.
“This is a time when the world is uniting, and in may cases, the world is coming to Atlanta,” Taylor said. “This is the perfect opportunity to have our youth rise up.”
Kim Thomas’ organization, HWPL, is a partner for the Play for Peace movement.
She said her organization wants to teach children the value of peace.
“We want to teach them the values of peace, the value of valuing another life, another person, seeing the value of your life, so that they’re less likely to even engage in these activities” Thomas told Wilson.
Thomas said helping kids look past their present pain and focus on their purpose and their future can keep them safe.
“If we all come together, we can make change happen because our children are literally crying out,” Taylor said.
At the end of the Play for Peace camp, each child will write a manifesto for peace.
To learn more about the camp, head online here.
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