Law professionals, mentors have 'straight talk' with teens about issues facing community - CBS 46 News

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - The Fulton County Juvenile Court held its 15th Annual Youth and the Law Summit on Saturday in SW Atlanta.

More than 100 teenagers attended the “Straight Talk…No Cap” event. Organizers had real conversations with the attendees, who identified the problems they deal with daily. They tackled topics ranging from jobs to gun and gang violence to generational trauma and offered some solutions to the listed issues.

“We want them to have an honest, open conversation about what they’re feeling, and we want to have an honest conversation with them on what they need to do to stay on the right path,” said Judge Renata D. Turner with the Fulton County Juvenile Court.

According to mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, guns became the leading cause of death among children and teens in 2020. A majority of those deaths were due to homicides rather than suicides.

“A lot of these young people don’t even believe their going to live to adulthood and us as adults, as community need to pour into them and that’s what this event is about,” added Dr. Bridgett Ortega with Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School, one of many law firms that partnered with the court system to host the event.

The attendees heard from several speakers including Julious Khalid, who spent five months in the Fulton County Jail in his younger years. He turned his bad situation into something good, founding his own “positive gang” known today as the Young Generation Movement.

“The message I want to bring is knowledge of self,” said Khalid. “Once you know who you are, eventually your gifts will flourish, and you become the person you are meant to become in the world.”

“We’re hoping they will be inspired to think more critically and think deeper about the violence that’s going on in their community and maybe that seed that starts growing more peace in the community,” added Judge Turner.

The Young Generation Movement is hosting a community beautification event on April 30. For more information on how to participate, click here.

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source: https://www.cbs46.com/2022/04/23/law-professionals-mentors-have-straight-talk-with-teens-about-issues-facing-community/

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