“Violence is rising.”
Oxania, 16
When I first heard about the Boston Marathon bombings I was in the car, and mom told me she had been watching the news earlier in the day. I was shocked, and I still couldn’t believe that two bombs had gone off. When you think of bomb targets, what comes to mind are commercial centers and important political and business-related places. I guess that’s what we as Americans picture since the World Trade Center terrorist attack back in 2001. This world is crazy and you just don’t know what could happen. That is why everyone is surprised because we couldn’t have seen it coming to the Boston Marathon. I don’t think any grown human being feels safe in general, not just speaking about America, but as a whole world. It’s scary because we go through danger every day. Violence is rising and it will keep rising if nothing is done.
In 2006, over 25 youth began participating in weekly after-school writing workshops where they congregated in the hallway of a two-story building in West Fresno and learned the essentials of creating media and telling their stories. The group evolved over the next five years and is now proudly recognized as The kNOw Youth Media.
Through our program, we create opportunities for our youth participants, who in turn create long-term positive change in their communities. Our approach weaves youth development and youth media innovation to produce our biannual youth publication, multimedia projects, and community forums.
The kNOw began as a project of New America Media, which was the country’s first and largest national collaboration and advocate of 2000 ethnic news organizations. In 2018 The kNOw became a project of Youth Leadership Institute.
