Gear Over Guns was born from the urgent reality that gun accessibility has deeply affected our neighborhoods, leaving too many young lives lost or scarred by violence. Our communities continue to grapple with the devastating impact of financial instability, emotional wounds, mental health struggles, and spiritual disconnection. These factors, compounded, often leave our youth vulnerable to cycles of harm perpetuated by their own peers.

Through this program, we sought to break that cycle—not with judgment, but with creativity, love, and empowerment. Gear Over Guns provided young people with a safe space to process their experiences and channel their voices into powerful forms of expression. Participants designed t-shirt graphics that told their stories, reflecting both their pain and their hope. Each piece of art became a statement: a declaration against violence and a vision for a future grounded in healing, unity, and love.

This initiative wasn’t just about art—it was about transformation. By giving our youth the tools to express themselves and share their perspectives, we encouraged them to imagine alternatives to violence. We showed them, and their communities, that love and creativity can shift mindsets, inspire resilience, and change the narrative from destruction to possibility.