Guns D.O.W.N. Program
(Doing Outstanding Without Violence)

Think Make Live Youth's Guns D.O.W.N. Program offers weekly in-school and after-school sessions where trained mentors guide young people in developing essential life skills, exploring career paths, and fostering positive social-emotional growth. Through engaging activities, guest speakers, and community connections, teens build confidence, learn peaceful conflict resolution, and design their own anti-violence initiatives, culminating in a youth-led summit. Join us in creating a safer, brighter future for our youth.

Guns D.O.W.N.

Think Make Live Youth’s Guns D.O.W.N. Program is facilitated in-school and after-school in weekly sessions at various sites from September - May.

During this program, young people engage in group sessions facilitated by trained Credible Messengers. The young people learn new knowledge, hear from guest speakers, participate in fun activities as well as gain resources on topics such as career readiness, wellness, entrepreneurship, arts, social justice, goal setting, conflict resolutions and more.

The program creates a safe space for teens to have deep conversations about their futures, tips on how to heal from their trauma, engage in art as well as staying out of trouble. Every week the young people engage in a circle where they gain knowledge on how to solve problems peacefully, consider feelings of others as well as demonstrate positive social and emotional skills.

We introduce our youth participants to the Circle of Courage Model and the Developmental Relationship Framework as well as educate them on new community information and connect them to beneficial resources. The young people are able to connect with elected officials to increase their involvement in local civic engagement and social justice.

During the program the young people also design their own custom anti-violence hoodies as a positive swag to wear around their communities. The young people also plan and host a Youth Summit for their peers at the end of May.