Giving Compass' Take:

• Chalkbeat sits down with five youth activists that are all apart of various anti-gun violence organizations. They discuss why they became activists and what their strategic plans are for advocating for gun control and less violence, particularly in the city of Chicago. 

• In the article, the author references that gun violence is prevalent in youth lives beside the shootings that happen at schools. Although school gun violence is horrific, how can we give attention, funding, and a voice to all types of gun violence that reaches youth, not just in school and offer continuous resources and support for them? 

• Read about how youth in Memphis are part of school organizations that teaches students how to be apart of social change initiatives through meaningful dialogue. 

Trevon Bosley’s brother was murdered while attending band rehearsal at church. Shot from the street while helping a friend with drums in 2006, he was just one of the 471 people killed by gun violence that year in Chicago. Through a peer youth council at St. Sabina Church in Auburn Gresham, Bosley, 20, became an outspoken student activist, and tonight he will join hundreds of students converging for an annual peace march that starts at the church.

Joining them are Chicago musicians Chance the Rapper and Jennifer Hudson and former Arizona House Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in 2011 at a public meeting with constituents. There will also be another set of special guests: the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fl., where a February shooter killed 17 students and teachers.

All week long, local student activists have been rallying and some Parkland students have lended an assist. Several staged a sit-in in City Hall on Monday to protest the proposed construction of a $95 million police academy on the West side and call for an elected school board.

Chalkbeat sat down with five Chicago student activists to hear why they take action and what they hope to achieve. Here is the first of the five activists' stories:

East Woodlawn resident Alycia Moaton, 17, attends Kenwood Academy. She’s part of Good Kids Mad City, a new advocacy organization formed by Chicago and Baltimore students.  Starting off around three years ago, I went to a lot of protests and youth summits, and that turned me into wanting to be part of an organization. That’s how I got in touch with Good Kids Mad City. Good Kids Mad City came to be after the Parkland shooting, from the idea that gun violence isn’t mainly just about mass shootings.

Read the full article about youth activists by Elaine Chen at Chalkbeat