WASHINGTON — More than two dozen gun violence prevention programs in the District got a boost Monday thanks to grants from Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement (ONSE). The Bowser administration announced the recipients of the gun violence prevention mini-grants. In all, 27 organizations received $135,000 in total.
“Every day, ONSE is working with violence interrupters and community partners to improve public safety in the District. These grants will continue those efforts while also creating positive change and engaging youth,” said ONSE Interim Director Kwelli Sneed. “We know that year to date, [assaults with deadly weapons] and homicides are down 38% in ONSE priority communities over this time last year. We remain focused on reducing the impacts of gun violence in our community.”
Inside the Black Workers and Wellness Center in Southeast, D.C. Monday night, a group gathered to discuss trauma.
"People are dealing with real trauma in real time but, they're also healing in real time," said Charnel Chaney.
Chaney is the founder of Bold Yoga.
"We promote healing throughout the Black community," she explained. "We foster healing spaces through yoga, mediation, healing circles, music therapy, art therapy anything that kind of just gives people tools to build their resiliency to the trauma that we face".
"On this side of Ward 8 that we're on, there are almost no programs for them," explained Julian Lewis, aka Coach Jay. He's the Commissioner and 6U Coach for football for D.C. Blue Bulls.
"Our main focus is to keep these kids out of the street, through sports and education," said Lewis.
He says this money will go directly towards helping the kids.
"Things like equipment. But, when I say equipment I don't mean just helmets and shoulder pads. Things to help train the kids. Things like, you know we have a lot of kids who don't eat every day or don't have enough to eat. We'll be able to branch out into different opportunities for these children," he explained.
Both say it's organizations like theirs, that provide those long-term solutions when we talk about things like "stopping the violence".
"We're actually giving them spaces to address the trauma, get to the root of what's causing the violence, driving the violence. Once they get to the root it helps them heal they no longer want to commit those crimes or cause harm," said Chaney.
She told WUSA9 that if "you give people the tools that they need to thrive then that's what they do they thrive. If you underserve them and don't give them the tools they need then they won't thrive."
List of Grantees:
- Bold Yoga – Bold Yoga provides a Sister Circle program for girls between the ages of 15 to 19 to develop love and emotional regulation. The program consists of four main sessions, including yoga, meditation, healing circles, and self-love workshops facilitated by Bold Yoga's trauma-informed yoga teachers.
- Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School —The CBOBS provides 320 middle and high school students at Sojourner Truth Public Charter School (Ward 5) with access to the Insight Day program. Students tackle challenges individually and as a group, and they have structured opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings and navigate group dissension.
- Crowned in Resilience Collective—The Community Healing Garden initiative is a cornerstone of this summer youth program, imparting valuable lessons on health, wellness, and clean eating. The program revitalizes the green space surrounding the Contee AME Zion Church, fostering community well-being through hands-on engagement in gardening.
- Discovery Construction, LLC – This is a youth advocacy and skilled trades organization with decades of experiencing mentoring young people for workforce development, trades, conflict resolution, and fitness. They offer an array of positive programs, including boxing as a discipline to address conflict resolution.
- Do The Write Thing Foundation of DC – The "Verbal Harmony" initiative is designed to reduce gun and street violence by empowering at-risk youth with communication and conflict resolution skills. The program equips participants with the verbal tools necessary to de-escalate potentially explosive situations.
- East of the River Clergy Police Community Partnership, Inc. – The ERCPCP’s workforce development pilot program works with 10 justice-involved young people from Ward 7 to support restorative justice efforts. The program includes mentoring, workshops, and one-on-one job search assistance toward obtaining employment.
- Empowerment Enterprise II – EE2 provides an All-Girls Drumline program that develops musical skills, teamwork, and confidence. In 2023, the drumline program served 150 unduplicated individuals, supporting artistic expression and personal growth.
- Faenita Dilworth, LLC – This organization provides a Girls Empowerment Workshop that serves middle and high school girls from communities in the Ward 8 Anacostia community. The program supports creative positive change and promotes youth involvement in violence prevention with a focus on prioritizing community safety.
- Fearlyss Journey Movement – This program supports discipline, resilience, and camaraderie for young individuals through dance. The program is designed for youth that have faced challenges within the school and community settings. It is designed to provide structured dance sessions, mentorship, and a platform for creative expression.
- Free Lunch Academy – The six-week, on-site program is designed to enhance areas of behavioral health and provide skills that encourage violence prevention. The FLA provides mentoring, therapeutic recreation, and behavioral support as its three main pillars.
- GOODProjects – GOODCamps is a seven-week summer enrichment experience for children between the ages of 8 and 17. The program provides access to nutritious meals, tutoring, mentorship, and recreational activity. The program builds community and instills a life-long love of learning.
- InnerCity Collaborative Community Development Corporation – For ages 13 – 25, the ICCCDC provides a Community Empowerment and Restoration Project in collaboration with Casey Trees, Cure the Streets, Uptown Team, and the COACHES case management staff. The program merges community development with violence prevention through activity surrounded by tree planting and environmental transformation.
- Many Languages One Voice – MLOV is a Black, Indigenous, People of Color immigrant-led organization serving D.C.’s low-income BIPOC immigrants and refugees who do not speak English as a primary language. The program empowers youth and families to access opportunities for economic mobility and to impact change for their lives.
- Matthews Memorial Baptist Church – The GEAR Over Guns program is a youth empowerment initiative with a strategy to mitigate gun violence in the Historic Barry Farm/Anacostia segment of Ward 8. The program engages at-risk youth in transformative mentorship and equipping them with essential conflict resolution skills including WoWTalks (words of wisdom).
- Mint Project, Inc. – The Mint Project uses direct services, storytelling, and coalition-based advocacy to usher homeless and at-risk youth and adults onto a more stable path of life. The program creates bridges to restorative resources and plants seeds of love in the hearts that need it most.
- Open Goal Project – The Open Goal Project is a comprehensive initiative designed to address the root cases of violence and the systemic barriers that exist in communities. The program nurtures the holistic development of young people, focused on equipping them with the tools to achieve improvement in physical, emotional and spiritual health and wellness.
- Opportunities for Deserving Children, Inc. – OFDC delivers a "Rolling Away From Violence" program, a preventative skating initiative designed to reduce gun violence. It engages youth each Thursday at the Anacostia Skate Pavilion.
- P.A.S.S. – This program introduces students to various opportunities and activities that allow them to compete with their counterpart scholars living West of the Potomac River. The life skills portion of PASS teaches skills and life lessons that typically come from wisdom and age.
- Payton’s Path Foundation —The Empowerment Through Expression program addresses the root causes of youth involvement in gun violence. It focuses on emotional and psychological well-being through structured, creative, and health-oriented programs.
- Project Purpose – The Return Program provides positive in-person mentoring for returning citizens. Healing circles are used to address struggles after returning from incarceration with resource sharing whereby participants can share opportunities and resources that are beneficial to the group.
- Representation from the Bottom – This organization offers the "Our Future Speakers" program through workshops, guest speaking events, public speaking competitions, and professional development. The Violence Reduction Intervention program empowers high-risk youth by teaching a variety of skill sets that youth may use to pursue a job or career.
- Schmidt’s Electrical Enterprises, PC – This organization offers an Empower Electric program designed to empower young people for careers in the electrical field as an innovative multi-purpose strategy toward gun violence prevention.
- Sisters4Sisters, Inc. – The Healing Garden Program revives hope and is tailored for youth and young adults. It offers a range of activities including art therapy, music, yoga, and engaging field trips to open minds and inspire futures.
- So What Else, Inc. – This program empowers youth by allowing them to lead and mentor within their communities. The program focuses on harnessing the potential of adolescents to serve as positive role models for younger children, thereby fostering a culture of safety, respect, and mutual support.
- Triumphant Leaders of DMV Youth Program – This program offers arts, youth fitness, and a three-week instructional curriculum-based offering that teaches basic life skills. Together, these programs are designed to address the unique needs of at-risk youth and equip them with necessary tools for personal growth and success.
- Ward 7 Blue Bulls Youth Organization – This group offers weekly conflict resolution and mediation-based programs for youth ages 12 to 18. Program sessions address topics related to the social and emotional challenges that youth routinely encounter in their daily lives Facilitated scenarios open dialogue about commonly encountered situations that can be resolved using critical thinking and appropriate communication skills.
- Youth Guidance DC BAM Fellowship Initiative – This program delivers comprehensive counseling, mentoring, and workforce readiness programming to address male-identifying youth who have been exposed to trauma and who face social, behavioral, cognitive, or emotional challenges.