DAYTON — Teen violence is a big topic in Dayton, and now a non-profit organization is bringing them into the conversation with a podcast.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the City of Dayton had 40 homicides last year, and 10 of those victims were 18 years old or younger.
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Lots of people hear about the violence on the news or social media, but many of the kids who show up at the Victory Project live it.
A group of friends came together to record a podcast, where they talk about the problems that directly affect them.
“The model of VP is strong men make hard times easier, but weak men make hard times,” Miami Valley Career Technology Center student Timothy said.
Timothy and his three co-hosts, Ya’Kaire, Kayden and Dezzmon, all came to the Victory Project to avoid one thing.
“The streets, it’s like basically having a child before marriage, getting a criminal history, and dropping out of school,” Stebbins High School student Ya’Kaire said.
But not long after they walked through the doors, they built an unbreakable bond.
“The bond that I share with all my friends here it’s more so a different day every day, if that makes sense, because they’re around. It makes me feel a lot more comfortable, more well, around others, it’s easier to openly be myself, if I’m being honest,” Timothy said.
It’s one of the reasons the founder of the Victory Project, Monnie Bush, thought a podcast would be a great outlet for the kids to share their views on things.
“Nobody can tell the story better than they can,” Bush said.
The teens had to apply and go through an interview process to be hired, and they get paid.
“They’re taking it very seriously because this is just another, you know, tool or platform or vehicle for them to share their stories and their perspectives, which often gets lost in all the other noise,” Bush said.
News Center 7’s Taylor Robertson asked the teens how they would express their opinions and feelings about growing up in Dayton without the podcast.
“Usually just talking to friends, family. This podcast is giving us opportunities to speak more freely and open up to the world,” Stivers High School student Dezzmon said.
“I like being able to talk about different things that’s happening and share the story,” Wogaman Middle School student Kayden said.
“They can add to the conversation, most people kind of discard the youth in lots of ways, maybe consciously and subconsciously, but they usually have a lot of good insight and they have good opinions that can be heard and applied,” Bush said.
The teens were planning out another episode on Wednesday afternoon.
They said their goal is to release a 30-minute episode every week.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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