Durham’s Youth Steps Up to Combat Gun Violence at Community Symposium

On Friday, Durham’s youth led a crucial, much needed conversation about gun violence in Bull City.

“Unmuted: Youth Against Gun Violence Symposium,” presented by GRACED, Inc., brought together Durham teens and North Carolina Central University students to share their experiences with gun violence directly with community leaders and elected officials. The event took place at the Hubbard-Totton building at NCCU.

Tiffany Swoope, founder of GRACED, Inc. and the symposium’s organizer, has been clear about why it’s important to have youth voices at the center of this conversation. “I truly believe that our youth aren’t the problem,” she said. “Our youth are actually the solution, but you cannot policy your way out of something that you haven’t fully listened your way into.”

The timing for this is urgent, and the statistics prove it. From January 1 through April 11, Durham has recorded 132 shootings, 54 people shot, and 10 fatalities. These numbers already outpace the same period in both 2024 and 2025. Of those 54 people shot, 10 of them were between the ages of 6 and 20.

“The kids are getting younger and younger,” Swoope said. “We cannot wait for another tragedy.”

Swoope says she wanted officials to leave with more than good intentions. “I really hope that they walk away and feel that this is what community-led change looks like. We’re starting at the bottom, and the foundation of this movement is our children.”

Durham city and county leaders are currently developing a Violence Reduction Plan, and Friday’s symposium was a part of making sure that young people’s voices are heard during the process.

Watch highlights from Friday’s Symposium below.