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ReACTION

In-School Education program

REACTION
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What is ReACTION?

Our signature program, ReACTION is a year-long education program delivered in schools that are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Since 2001, we have guided students throughout New York City in our year-long curriculum, emphasizing personal and group development, misconceptions about guns and gun violence, policy and programmatic solutions to reducing gun violence, and advocacy skills. The program culminates with a group trip to Albany or Washington, in which students bring their concerns directly to lawmakers. Over time, participants learn how to overcome their sense of helplessness in the face of gun violence, how to access community resources, and how to take leadership roles in addressing gun violence as spokespeople and advocates. 

The program – the only one of its kind in New York – has seen tremendous growth in recent years, thanks to a unique Train-the-Facilitator program we have conducted in partnership with New York City’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence. ReACTION was taught at four schools in 2017; as of March 2021, we will reach 18 schools and after-school programs with our curriculum.

Our program evaluations show both the need for the ReACTION program and its efficacy in shifting students’ attitudes about guns, gun violence, and civic engagement. A survey during the 2019-20 school year showed that three-quarters of ReACTION students had heard gunshots in their neighborhood; two-thirds knew someone personally who had been shot; and 44% knew where and how to get a gun if they wanted one. The number of students who felt that a gun makes a person safer dropped by 31% over the course of the program, and the number who felt a gun makes a person more powerful dropped by 27%. The number of students who felt empowered to reduce gun violence rose by 24% over the course of the program, and there was an increase in 33% for students who felt prepared to discuss the issue with elected officials.

Train-the-Facilitator Program

In partnership with the New York City Office to Prevent Gun Violence and community-based violence intervention groups, NYAGV Ed Fund has trained 17 new facilitators to teach our ReACTION curriculum. These “credible messengers” are uniquely qualified to connect with students who see gun violence daily in their communities. We partner with community groups associated with the NYC Crisis Management System, including Bronx Connect, B.R.A.G. (Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence), Elite Learners, Life Camp and Save Our Streets Bronx. 

The NYC Crisis Management System is a network of organizations that deploys credible messengers who mediate conflicts in disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities and connect high-risk individuals to services that can reduce long-term risk of violence. Data from 2010-2019 shows that CMS has contributed to an average of 40% reduction in shootings across program areas. 

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Who We Serve

Our Schools (as of Spring 2021)

Academy for Language and Technology – Bronx

Bronx Academy of Health Careers – Bronx

Bronx Charter School for Excellence – Bronx

Crotona International High School – Bronx

Hostos-Lincoln Academy of Science – Bronx

Paul Dunbar High School – Bronx

The Urban Assembly Bronx Academy of Letters – Bronx

Boys and Girls High School – Brooklyn

Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory High School – Brooklyn

East Williamsburg Scholars Academy – Brooklyn

FDNY Capt. Vernon A. Richard High School for Fire and Life Safety – Brooklyn

Frederick Douglass Academy VIII Middle School – Brooklyn

High School for Civil Rights – Brooklyn

High School for Public Service – Brooklyn

Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice – Brooklyn

Performing Arts and Technology High School – Brooklyn

William H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School – Brooklyn

John Bowne High School – Queens

IMPACT

By the numbers

Number of schools where ReACTION is taught as of the end of the 2020-21 school year - up from 4 in 2017
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Percentage of ReACTION students who know someone who has been shot
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Percentage of ReACTION students who, after completing the program, agreed that a gun does not make you safer - up from 53% at the beginning of the program
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Percentage of ReACTION students who, after completing the program, said they had the knowledge necessary to reduce gun violence in their community - up from 23% at the start of the program
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Dimaex Louis-Charles

How long have you been with NYAGV I have been with NYAGV for almost a month

Tell us a little bit about yourself:  I am a plant based/ holistic chef and have my own catering/meal prep company. I love music and I am a very good songwriter. I am spiritual and love holistic healing.

What do you like most about your job? Describe what motivates you and what you find most fulfilling in your role. I love connecting with young people in ways that are authentic to me. I love that I have creative freedom and that it is not like regular workplaces. Ironically, that makes me push myself harder and not be lazy because I have a chance to grow and change lives that is important to the youth I impact and myself.

Can you share a brief anecdote about a memorable experience or achievement during your time with NYAGV? A more vetted answer is yet to come, but so far its when I felt a little nervous on the first day of the miller mentorship but on the orientation day,

I was able to navigate myself with the energies of the kids and my coworkers. It just felt good, like these people see me and I am able to connect with them.

How has being part of the ReACTION/Miller Mentorship Team impacted your career development or personal growth? It is going to enable me to become more self-sufficient and a stronger leader when it comes to this field of work, as well as holding myself accountable to tackle all my goals and possible challenges.

What are some of your goals or aspirations within NYAGV for the coming year? My goal is to become the best version of myself as an educator and mentor. My goal is to remain proactive, open, and become a reliable support system for these kids and coworkers.

Xavier Cornejo

How long have you been with NYAGV? I have been with NYAGV for a year and a half now.

Tell us a little bit about yourself:  I’m thankful to have a wonderful partner, friends, and family around me that keep me going. I enjoy my time by making lots of music playlists, meeting with my friends in book club, and reading in the park just before sunset.

 

What do you like most about your job? Describe what motivates you and what you find most fulfilling in your role. I come to this work with a deep love for my community and communities like mine. I see myself in a lot of our students and community members, as they see the systemic issues they face and look for resources to challenge them. My neighborhood was impacted by gun violence too, and I’m not only honored, but fulfilled, to be working alongside our young people and community partners to build out real solutions.

 

Can you share a brief anecdote about a memorable experience or achievement during your time with NYAGV? I was proud to recently lead a group of young people in a panel discussion with NYU on youth mental health journeys in communities impacted by gun violence. The discussion took a great deal of development, especially as we envisioned the conversations to be youth led. I was impressed with the ways that our young people brought such insightful and honest versions of themselves to the experience. I was left inspired with their bravery, and with so much admiration for the ways they’ve been intentional with their mental health journeys at such young ages. They

remind me how impactful youth voices can be when adults know how to pass the microphone.

 

How has being part of the ReACTION/Miller Mentorship Team impacted your career development or personal growth? The team has offered me a great opportunity to step into a role of leadership as a social worker. I still feel early in my career, and being trusted to develop our social work program by making relationships with our young people, our schools, and other community partners feels like I am adding my skills and personality in valuable ways. I appreciate the ways that our team brings themselves into this work as well, and I’m reminded that all of our strengths and interests add something that our youth can benefit from in many different ways. We show up as ourselves and together we make a creative and dedicated team.

 

What are some of your goals or aspirations within NYAGV for the coming year? Some of my goals look like continuing to build out our social work program, making connections with community partners who are looking to support survivors and victims of crimes in New York State, and especially gun violence. I intend to continue making meaningful connections with our schools and showing up in the big and small ways that foster interconnected communities.

Andrea Gonzales

How long have you been with NYAGV? I have been with NYAGV since I was 17! I joined their youth arm in 2018 and transitioned into the Ed Fund in 2021.

Tell us a little bit about yourself: I have been advocating for my community and learning about social justice since I was 15! I mainly worked with gender and racial justice movements in Staten Island and other parts of New York City. My family has inspired much of what I do now, as they saw and learned from the revolutionary movements in Peru in the 1970s and 80s. My family is also mostly made up of educators who guided my understanding of the role of education and educators in revolution and societal transformation. My life and the lives of my family, elders, and ancestors are intertwined with uprisings and resistance, which has shaped everything I hope to do with my life and the legacy I want to leave. I hope my work can inspire others, particularly young people, to contribute new visions, values, and skills to an intergenerational movement for justice and safety.

What do you like most about your job? The students I meet and learn from are this work’s most inspiring and motivating part. Young people are so brilliant; they are unapologetically themselves, from how they see the world to how they understand and see themselves. They never betray their values of connection and justice. Their bravery and authenticity allow them to advocate for themselves and the people they love in such beautiful ways. In the three years I have gotten to work with young people consistently and directly, I have seen so much growth happen right before my eyes! I consider myself hopeful; I believe in love and people, and when I can learn from young people, that hope is reinvigorated! I see all young people as the embodiment of hope and am so grateful to have the opportunity to know them.

What are some of your goals or aspirations within NYAGV for the coming year? I hope to create more opportunities for students to experience and learn about the movements that exist in New York City that are fighting for safety and justice. I want to create more opportunities through ReACTION and Miller Mentorship for students to recognize and embrace their own power and allow them to dream of how that power can grow by meeting and learning from community members who are leading these fights. My dream is for NYAGV Education Team to nurture a new generation of leaders that see connections the gun violence prevention movement as inextricably connected to all other movements for justice. Our success in gun violence prevention is tied to the success in racial justice, gender justice, housing justice, food justice, and decolonial justice.

Frank Teah

How long have you been with NYAGV? This past March marked five years at NYAGV. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself:  My love of social justice and seeing a more equitable society stems from my mother’s journey, which involved fleeing a country engulfed in civil war and experiencing the difficulties of navigating life in an underserved neighborhood as an immigrant. 

What do you like most about your job? Describe what motivates you and what you find most fulfilling in your role. Our curriculum gives students agency in their learning experience that they likely haven’t had at any other time during their academic tenure. What we teach is youth-focused, so students feel empowered while they’re in our program. We see that from the questions students ask while in our classes, how they engage with their elected officials during our advocacy trips, and how they show up and lead during our community events. 

What motivates me is that there are so many bright students in our school, but what they learn in their daily classes differs from what they are most passionate about. Our curriculum has found a way to reach many students from different walks of life and experiences and make them all feel like experts at something. In marginalized communities, many young people are looking for ways to feel powerful. What they learn and can eventually teach others makes them feel powerful. 

Can you share a brief anecdote about a memorable experience or achievement during your time with NYAGV? When Covid hit, and we had to pivot online, we were concerned about how advocacy day would go as a team. Our staff and students were set to meet with Jumani Williams and his staff. Long story short, the students did amazingly. The Assistant Principal was also at the virtual meeting, and after the call, she requested a quick Zoom call with me. I didn’t know what to expect; we assumed the meeting went well, but that’s through our eyes. Once we got on the call, she thanked me and our staff for prepping the students and teaching them so much information, even when things got complicated with COVID-19. In 2022, she would become the new school’s principal and called us to come and work with her new students. 

How has being part of the ReACTION/Miller Mentorship Team impacted your career development or personal growth? When I came to NYAGV, I was confident in my ability to teach, reach people, and have them listen. Reaction and the Mille Mentorship have bolstered my confidence. They have made me feel like an expert in developing young people, how they learn, and what tools they need to maximize their potential. It also feels good that other organs, institutions, elected officials, and schools look to us for our knowledge in helping to prevent gun violence and foster environments where young people realize the power of their voices.

What are your goals or aspirations within NYAGV for the coming year?  My goal is the same as every year. I hope to see the program continue to grow, serve more students, and give them opportunities to thrive. This year, we had 40 applicants for the Miller Mentorship. Next year, I hope we have 60!