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Fifteen-year-old Josiah Owens is considering owning a gun one day because he wants protection. He doesn鈥檛 want to suffer the same fate as his best friend, whom he says survived a shooting a couple of years ago.

Owens, a sophomore at Disney II Magnet High School on the Northwest Side, was one of 23 Chicago teens ages 13 to 17 who took part in a recent weeklong program to learn about the risks of gun ownership and how to share those statistics with peers through a flashy social media campaign. He joined after a nudge from his mother, who wanted him to 鈥渂uild connections鈥� with other Chicago kids.

The program, which took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each week day of spring break, was led by nonprofit Project Unloaded in partnership with nonprofit After School Matters, which paid the teen participants $150.

Since 2023, the organization has run a six-week summer program where teens get more time to research gun violence statistics and create catchy social media videos. But the spring break program was a first for Project Unloaded, according to Nina Vinik, founder and president of Project Unloaded.

Project Unloaded focuses on social media creation because that鈥檚 where 鈥測oung people today are going to find information,鈥� Vinik said.

鈥淎ll of our programs combine firearm risk education for young people with social media skill building, so we鈥檙e effectively teaching young people how to use social media as a way to make positive change in their communities,鈥� she said.

Last year, 18.6% of the victims of fatal and non-fatal shootings in Chicago were 19 years old or younger, almost one percentage point higher than the year before but a drop from about 20% in 2023, according to .

A 2022 survey of 989 Chicago parents found that , ranging from hearing gunshots to being shot. One-fifth of those children experienced mental health symptoms as a result.

Last week during Chicago Public Schools鈥� spring break, Owens and his peers showed up to the After School Matters offices in the Kilbourn Park neighborhood and learned some gun ownership statistics: People with a gun at home are twice as likely to be killed, according to According to people who owned a gun were four times more likely to be shot during an assault compared with those who didn鈥檛 have a gun on them.

The teens then learned how to create effective social media campaigns that direct people to a website with more information on studies related to gun ownership. They spent a day with staff from iO improv theater to 鈥渃ome out of their shells,鈥� said Olivia Brown, associate director of youth engagement at Project Unloaded who led the spring break program. They also watched videos from other content creators to learn that a good video has a hook, a main message, and then a call to action, Brown said.

鈥淭hey were like, 鈥極h, it鈥檚 kind of like writing a persuasive essay,鈥欌�� Brown said, who agreed with them. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like, you got to get your reader, aka your viewer, on your side.鈥�

The teens practiced shooting videos with their phones. Then, Project Unloaded鈥檚 digital strategist helped them create their final videos with his equipment.

On the Friday of spring break, the last day of their program, the teens presented their videos in groups of three or four. They walked up to the front of the room, some appearing shy, facing their peers and invited guests who included content creators.

Their videos, which lasted less than 30 seconds, will be added to an ongoing advertising campaign created by last summer鈥檚 cohort of teens, called

One group presented a video showcasing a fictional 鈥淭otally Safe News鈥� network, where one of the participants played a correspondent who initially says owning a gun offers safety. Then, the screen bleeps out, and the correspondent fixes the newscast to say owning a gun doubles the risk of homicide.

鈥淔acts don鈥檛 care about opinions,鈥� the correspondent says.

Owens鈥� group made a video where the camera toggles between the teens playing a video game while they discuss the statistics associated with owning a gun.

In another group鈥檚 video, one of the teens says he owns a gun, and his peer walks up and puts a clown wig on him. The audience in the room laughed.

Vinik emphasized that they don鈥檛 鈥渢ell any young person what to do or what to think or what not to do,鈥� rather, they want to arm them with information 鈥渢o make the best decision that they can for themselves.鈥�

The program did appear to change some of the teens鈥� minds: Project Unloaded representatives said they saw a 30% drop among the participants who are interested in owning a gun. One of them is Makayla Mason, 16, who鈥檚 a junior at Lane Tech High School, who said she considered buying a gun when she gets older.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 even want to get one anymore,鈥� she said.

Owens, who wants to be a boxer when he gets older, said the social media skills he learned could be useful in helping to promote himself one day.

As for gun ownership? The program didn鈥檛 change his mind: He鈥檚 still considering buying a gun one day.

鈥淣ow I just know the risks of it, which is good,鈥� he said.

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools. This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at .

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