MISSION STATEMENT

​Our mission is to revolutionize gun culture
by empowering and uplifting youth
disproportionately impacted by its consequences. 

Through multimedia collaborations, innovative programs, advocacy, and community engagement, we aim to break down silos, foster dialogue, and influence a paradigm shift in the collective consciousness.

By amplifying the voices of young people and cultivating inclusive spaces for dialogue and action, we strive to create environments that promote healing, justice, and safety for all.

​We approach gun violence as both a public health crisis and a structural issue that shapes, and is shaped by, the conditions in which young people live, learn, and grow. Our work acknowledges that safety, stability, and opportunity are crucial to achieving long-term well-being.

Together, we envision a society where communities are free from the pervasive threat of gun violence, fostering a future of resilience and well-being for generations to come.

So… What is Gun Culture anyway?
​And why are we trying to change it?

VALUES STATEMENT   

​At Youth Over Guns, we believe that gun violence is not inevitable. It is preventable. 

We are committed to a public health approach that recognizes gun violence as both a cause and consequence of unmet social, economic, and emotional needs. Grounded in the CDC’s Social-Ecological Model, our work addresses the complex interplay of individual, relationship, community, and societal factors that contribute to violence, especially in the lives of youth.

As a youth-led and youth-centered organization, we work directly with young people who have survived gun violence or are coming of age in environments where carrying a gun feels like the only means of protection, identity, or power. Our programs are designed to disrupt that narrative, not by condemning young people, but by creating alternative pathways for healing, leadership, and a sense of belonging.

​We reject carceral responses that treat youth as threats rather than as whole people shaped by systems of disinvestment, racism, and generational trauma. We center the needs of young survivors, those too often silenced or retraumatized by punitive systems, and advocate for solutions rooted in the social determinants of health, which prioritize prevention, care, and opportunity over punishment.
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Our work is rooted in the belief that when young people are equipped with tools, trust, and community, they become powerful agents of change, not just for their futures, but for the health and safety of us all.