Event Series:
National Youth Violence Prevention Week
National Youth Violence Prevention Week
April 24, 2028 - April 27, 2029
National Youth Violence Prevention Week
Join youth and teens from across America take a stand against violence. National Youth Violence Prevention Week is April 22-26. Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club, an initiative of Sandy Hook Promise, is proud to be a founding partner of National Youth Violence Prevention Week (NYVPW).
Founded in 2001, National Youth Violence Prevention Week is a time for youth to lead communities on effective strategies to prevent youth violence. The campaign is a week-long event with each day of the week corresponding to a specific challenge for communities. Join with others around the country to unite and lift up youth who work to make their schools and neighborhoods safer. In addition, wear orange to recognize the importance of gun violence prevention, especially in schools and as it pertains to innocent children. A second color to represent youth violence is red, however, orange is the primary color. We offer enamel awareness pins, fabric ribbons, and silicone wristbands in both the color orange and red.
Engaging Your Community in National Youth Violence Prevention Week
Everyone can play a role in preventing youth violence. For example, this week provides ideas for youth, teens, parents, educators, local officials, business leaders, faith-based groups, and so many more. Further, you’ll find resources on how to organize awareness activities leading up to and during NYVPW.
Join youth and teens from across America take a stand against violence!
Becoming a Youth Leader
Youth are essential partners in NYVPW, leading the change toward safer schools and communities. SAVE Promise Club empowers youth and gives them the tools and training they need to be successful leaders. For example, they influence their peers in a positive way, resulting in a more caring and connected school community. Through SAVE Promise Club, youth organize around important lessons learned through these programs. Together, students are preventing violence – now and in the future.
17 Facts About Gun Violence And School Shootings
Gun violence and school shootings are a uniquely American epidemic. Sandy Hook Promise is shining a light on these vital facts and statistics.
Every number you see stands for a person, often a child, with hopes, dreams, and loved ones who cherished them. Children and families in the U.S. are facing a vast problem, but you can help. Share these facts, know the signs, and act to protect them before it’s too late.
Child-related Gun Violence and School Shooting Facts
1. Each day 12 children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured.
2. Guns are the leading cause of death among American children and teens. 1 out of 10 gun deaths are age 19 or younger.
3. In fact, firearm deaths occur at a rate more than 5 times higher than drownings.
4. Since Columbine in 1999, more than 338,000 students in the U.S. have experienced gun violence at school.
5. There were more school shootings in 2022 -46- than in any year since Columbine. This mirrored America’s broader rise in gun violence as it emerged from the pandemic. However, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security research shows that if we “know the signs” of gun violence, we can prevent it and reverse the trend.
6. In 2022, 34 students and adults died while more than 43,000 children were exposed to gunfire at school. There is help for victims and survivors of gun violence.
Facts About How to Stop School Shootings and Other Violence
7. An estimated 4.6 million American children live in a home where at least one gun is kept loaded and unlocked. These improperly stored weapons have contributed to school shootings, suicides, and the deaths of family members, including infants and toddlers.
8. Nearly half of all parents with a weapon in the home wrongly believe their children don’t know where a gun is stored. Safe storage of firearms prevents tragedies.
9. In 4 out of 5 school shootings, at least one other person had knowledge of the attacker’s plan but failed to report it.
10. In a comprehensive school shooting study, the Secret Service and Department of Education found that 93% of school shooters planned the attack in advance. When people see the signs and get help, we can end school shootings.
11. Almost all mass school shooters shared threatening or concerning messages or images. More than 75% raised concern from others prior to the attacks. Bystanders saw warning signs in most documented active shooter cases. Truly, you can prevent school shootings when you know the signs.
Facts about How Gun Violence Impacts America’s Most Vulnerable
Disparately and disproportionately impacted children and adults face higher risk of being victimized by gun violence. Despite economic factors, gender, racial, mental health conditions or sexual orientation, everyone has the right to be safe in their classrooms and communities.
12. Children living in poverty, urban and rural, are more likely to die due to gun violence than their more affluent peers.
13. About 1 out of 5 gay and lesbian youth have been threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.
14. Black youth are four times more likely to be killed with guns than their white peers.
15. Children of color are far more likely to experience campus gun violence. It’s more than twice as much for Hispanic students and over three times as much for Black students.
16. The majority of individuals with diagnosed mental illness do not engage in violence against others.
17. Lastly, 90% of teenagers killed in an act of dating violence were girls.
You Can Help Stop School Shootings
Real change in how America approaches gun reform and school safety isn’t possible without people like you. For this reason, wear an orange awareness ribbon, pin or wristband to raise awareness for this very important cause.
