Introduction
In a nation where firearm violence remains a leading public-health challenge, communities like ours in Atlanta are at the crossroads of risk and possibility. According to national data, gun violence isn’t only a criminal-justice issue—it’s a public-health crisis, one that demands strategic, preventive, and youth-focused leadership. At Be Someone, Inc., our mantra is simple: Think it out, don’t shoot it out. The next move matters—especially when we work with our youngest, most vulnerable neighbors.
The Local Context: Atlanta’s Violence-Reduction Efforts
Here in Atlanta, the City has recognized the need for more than policing alone. Through the Mayor’s Office of Violence Reduction (MOVR), the city is shifting toward a holistic model that supports youth, school, family and neighborhood protective factors. Community-based programs are being scaled, and local nonprofits are playing a key role. For example, in Southwest Atlanta, nonprofits recently received half-a-million dollars in funding to reduce gun violence by 10–20% in targeted neighborhoods.
What this tells us: the terrain is changing. We must align our work with community-based interventions and strategic youth development. That’s where the chessboard meets the movement.
Why Chess and Strategic Thinking Matter
When youth are exposed to violence, disinvestment, distrust, and fewer educational supports, the school-to-prison pipeline looms large. In high-risk neighborhoods, the capacity to think ahead—to ask “What’s my next move?”—is a powerful protective factor. Research on community violence intervention (CVI) programs shows that mediating conflict, building trust, and changing norms works.
By teaching children ages 6-12 how to compete—not just on a chessboard, but in life—we’re embedding the strategic mindset that can divert them from reactive violence.
National Trends to Watch
- At a national level, firearm violence remains a top cause of death among youth and adolescents in the U.S. The early 2024 advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General framed it as a public-health emergency.
- Meanwhile, federal funding for some gun-violence prevention programs has been cut significantly — a shift that underscores the importance of local and grassroots action stepping in.
- In Georgia: Safe-storage legislation, advocacy by clinician groups, and community mobilization around gun-safety laws show the policy side of the challenge is active.
All of this means: The urgency is real, and the opportunity to act locally and early is huge.
How Be Someone Can Engage Now
Here are three actionable focus areas where our organization can plug in and make a real difference:
Youth Strategic-Thinking Workshops
Use our life-sized chessboard as a metaphor and tool. In neighborhoods targeted by MOVR or community-violence-intervention partners, offer “next-move” workshops: children learn that every move counts, that every decision has a consequence. Tie this to conflict-resolution, peer leadership, and school success. Partnerships with Community Violence Prevention Programs
Seek collaboration with programs like CHRIS 180’s “Cure Violence Atlanta” model, which has reported a 50% reduction in violent crime in one NPU via trusted-community-member outreach. We have a unique educational edge—chess, leadership, strategic thinking—that complements outreach and mediation work.Public Awareness and Parent Engagement
Because gun violence prevention isn’t only about crisis response—it’s about building protective environments. We can host parent nights, community forums, school-based programs around our “Think it out, don’t shoot it out” message. Show how strategic thinking skills translate to everyday decisions, school success, avoiding involvement in the pipeline.
Call to Action
To our Atlanta community: we must move with urgency and intention. If you are a parent, educator, community-organization leader or faith-community member, I invite you to partner with Be Someone, Inc. Let’s set up a life-sized chessboard in your campus, your youth-group, your neighborhood. Let’s give children the tools to make their next move their best move.
Because while we can’t prevent every tragedy, we can equip children with the thinking, character, and resilience so they’re less likely to end up on the wrong side of the statistics.
Closing
Gun violence is not inevitable. It is the result of choices—big and small. At Be Someone, Inc., we believe in flipping the script. We believe children deserve more than reaction—they deserve strategy, opportunity, hope. In Atlanta, in Georgia, in the U.S., let’s shift from responding to preventing. From shooting out to thinking out. Let’s make the next move count.
