CHICAGO YOUTH DEMAND ACTION AS GUN VIOLENCE

HITS CLOSE TO HOME
Government Officials Pledge Support for Teens as Results of

Teen Gun Survey are Revealed

CHICAGO, Mar. 1, 2010 – Alarmed by increasing gun violence in their neighborhoods and schools, Chicago teens are asking local, state and national policymakers to help keep them safe.   UCAN (Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network) representatives, joined by U.S. Congressman Michael Quigley (IL-5) and Illinois State Senator Donne Trotter (17^th District), were on hand at UCAN’s administrative offices at 3737 N. Mozart Street as teens reported the findings of UCAN’s Teen Gun Survey, generously funded by the Joyce Foundation.

Local teens are urging adults to find a solution to curb the violence.  The latest national Teen Gun Survey revealed that more than one in four teens know someone who has been shot – and more than one in three teens fear being shot someday.  Twelve percent of teens say that at least one student from their school has been killed by gun violence in the past year.

“With nearly one third of teens saying they can get a gun if they really wanted one, it is clear that we need to stop the flow of illegal guns into our community to keep our youth safe from violence,” said Claude Robinson, executive vice president of external affairs and diversity for UCAN. “It is unacceptable that teens in Chicago and around the country live in fear of gun violence every day, and we owe it to them to take action now.  UCAN is focused on supporting teens and helping them become future leaders, and we back them up in their request to reduce gun violence.”

Chicago teen Chase Larkin, recent graduate of Crest Hill High School and active member of UCAN’s “Project Visible Man” program, is just one local teen who has been personally affected by gun violence.  Each year, the UCAN Teen Gun Survey gives youth like Chase an outlet to express their opinions and to reflect on how violence affects their peers nationwide:

• More than two in five fear that gun violence may happen in their school
• One in three teens say they could get a handgun if they really wanted to, including nearly half of 16-18-year-old males
• Eight in 10 teens agree that American culture glamorizes guns and violence
• Nearly six in 10 teens say America would be a safer place without handguns

-more-

UCAN Teen Gun Survey – Add one

“The results from the Teen Gun Survey are very disturbing, especially considering how gun violence deaths are disproportionately higher among minorities,” said Tom Vanden Berk, president and CEO for UCAN.  “It is our hope that the results of this survey help to shed light on this problem and encourage everyone to take action.”

The survey indicated that while most teens expect to benefit from more violence-prevention programs, they agree that adults – including government officials – are not doing enough to prevent gun violence.  In fact, four out of five teens agree that young people would benefit from more violence-prevention programs.

“Whether we’re tightening restrictions on purchasing guns, reauthorizing a ban on assault weapons, or fighting to protect Chicago’s own handgun ban, it is our moral obligation – as elected leaders and parents – to do everything in our power to keep our kids safe,” said Congressman Quigley. “We cannot abdicate our responsibility and allow the special interests to run roughshod over sensible gun restrictions anymore and allow so many promising futures to perish.  I’d like to thank UCAN for their ongoing efforts, especially the young leaders who have stood up, spoken out, and demanded a life without fear of violence.”

Despite the many grim statistics, the survey also found that teens remain hopeful about solving the problem of gun violence and express a willingness to do their part.  Eight in 10 teens say they would inform an adult if someone they knew had an illegal gun, and nearly 70 percent feel optimistic that we will solve the problem of gun violence in our society.

UCAN’s annual Teen Gun Survey gives young people the vehicle to publicly advocate for violence-free solutions. The organization’s Hands Without Guns program is a comprehensive violence interruption program that includes educational workshops, public education and peer mentoring. For additional information on UCAN or its violence-prevention programs, please contact Rebecca Faulk, Director of Development, at 773-290-5086 or faulkr@ucanchicago.org.

###

About the UCAN Teen Gun Survey:

The 2009 ucan National Teen Gun Survey was created and commissioned by ucan, a multi-faceted social service agency for at-risk children and families in Chicago, and was conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited. The nationally representative sampling of teen opinion (+/- 3 percent margin of error) includes more than 683 respondents from around America.

More information about UCAN can be found at www.ucanchicago.org.

http___abclocal.go.com_wls_story