GVINE Update

Thanks to funding from the Swarthmore Friends Meeting, 26 youth and mentors from our violence intervention program traveled to Washington, D.C. on August 24, 2022, to visit the Smithsonian National African American Museum of History and Culture. The multi-generational group explored the whole museum, learning about the Black experience in America from the slave trade through present day arts and culture. Transporting these youth out of their community and exposing them to a world greater than their own was a powerful educational experience that provided insight into possibilities. The trip enabled us to show our young people that they belong, and that their roots are strong. It also prompted powerful dialogue that enabled the participants - no matter what their criminal history, educational background, or employment status - to be seen, heard and empowered.

(September 2022)