One Lexington offers resources for youth, aiming to curb gun violence in the city

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — Those with One Lexington are working towards curbing the gun violence problem in the city, especially in light on shootings in the past weekends.

The initiative was established in 2017, and mainly works towards reducing gun violence within the youth and the younger adults between the ages of 13-29.

One Lexington says in order to help get to the root of the problem, we have to listen and reassure the younger generation that they are not in this fight alone.

“There is someone out there that does care and there is hope,” says Kenneth Payne the community outreach advocate of One Lexington.

It’s a fight that continues causing concern for people in Lexington, the fight against gun violence.

“We saw a really, significant decrease in both homicides and shootings, as related to last year and, and two years prior, but at the end of the day, I mean, it’s still one more, two more, three, more than, it should be,” adds Payne.

One Lexington the initiative that aims to curb gun violence says a lot of the issues that arise within the younger generation, come from not knowing how to deal with certain trauma.

“As a young adult, as a youth, as a child is difficult for some of them to navigate because they don’t understand those emotions and how to express those properly, could be for many different reasons, didn’t have, maybe a proper example in the home to show them how to do that,” says Payne on dealing with trauma.

Payne with the initiative also says some parents may not understand the pressure their children may be under from academics to social media.

“It’s harder to, say no to, to peer pressure. it’s easier to say yes and a lot of times kids that we talk to, they feel that, they’ll be made fun of if they don’t, go along with the peer pressure and they won’t say some of the young men we talk to, they feel like they won’t be a man if they don’t,  go along with the peer pressure,” said Payne.

One Lexington offers various resources that are aiming to teach others that there are other alternatives.

“One thing we implemented this year in our summer youth program, was one day a week at the beginning of our session on Tuesdays, we had a a counseling agency that came in and did group sessions with the kids. Outside of the summer youth program, we have the in school mentoring. We partner with a lot of black and Brown mental health agencies, so a lot of times some of the people in the community want someone that kinda looks like them that can kinda understand them to talk to. So having that is, is a huge help and that, and that allows people to feel a little more comfortable in having that conversation about mental health,” also said Payne.

One Lexington is set to host its first “Symposium on Youth & Young Adult Gun Violence” on October 20 at UK’s Spindletop Hall.
For more information about One Lexington, go to lexingtonky.gov/one-lexington or contact Devine Carama at (859) 280-8745, or via email, dcarama@lexingtonky.gov.