This Is Just the Beginning: Students Working Together to Reimagine Peace and Possibility
“Being in this program showed me how much people are carrying. Everyone here has been through something — things you don’t always see. It made me realize there’s a whole world beyond your own bubble, and that matters.”
“Being in this program showed me how much people are carrying. Everyone here has been through something — things you don’t always see. It made me realize there’s a whole world beyond your own bubble, and that matters.”
— Alfredo, Roosevelt
On May 15, sixty students from across Chicago and the suburbs gathered for the Together Towards Peace (TTP) Symposium — the culmination of a yearlong journey rooted not just in ending gun violence, but in imagining what peace could truly look like. Representing Baker College Prep, Roosevelt High School, DRW College Prep, and Highland Park High School, students shared original projects that offered creative paths toward healing and stronger, more connected communities.
Together Towards Peace gives students a starting point — a foundation to keep speaking out, organizing, and pushing for change. Through creative expression, public speaking, and peer dialogue, they’ve not only unpacked the everyday impact of gun violence, but begun to understand its deeper causes — and how they can keep fighting back.
“This program opened my eyes to how much we don’t see — and how much we can learn from each other.”
— Sophie, Highland Park High School
Students brought ideas, energy, and clarity, especially to the concept of peace and what it looks like…with self, relationships, community and institutions, city, and beyond.
Project Spotlights and Awards
The symposium was a day of recognition, pride, and accountability. Students didn’t just talk about problems—they proposed real responses grounded in their lived experiences.
Roosevelt High School received the Creative Vision & Community Impact Award for Voices for Peace: Stories That Heal, a multilingual storytelling campaign that draws attention to students' and staff's personal experiences to build understanding across the school.
Baker College Prep received the Student Choice Award for Tainted Minds: Voices for Peace, a spoken word performance and PSA that reflected on harm, healing, and survival in communities impacted by systemic violence.
Other powerful projects included:
- DRW College Prep — Survival and Healing Project
A YouTube storytelling series to challenge how violence is normalized — and to uplift stories of healing. - Baker College Prep — Artillery
A visual art campaign focused on expressing emotion, raising awareness, and inspiring connection through student-created gallery work. - Highland Park High School — No Nos Corten las Alas / Don’t Clip Our Wings
A proposed mural honoring lives lost and creating a public space for reflection and dialogue.
What Students Want the World to Know
“Gun violence is real — no matter how much people want to hide behind the Second Amendment. That amendment wasn’t written for the communities most affected today. It was meant to protect colonists from British invaders, not to justify carrying fully automatic weapons that can fit in your sock and kill multiple people at once.”
— Jamil, DRW
“Young people from every part of the world have something to say — but too often, no one’s listening. This project is about making sure our stories are heard.”
— Andrea, DRW
“Our project is about giving people the courage to tell their stories — and reminding them they’re not alone.”
— Kendall, DRW
“What happened in Highland Park made the news. What happens in Chicago often doesn’t. That’s why this program matters.”
— Sophie, Highland Park
“Young people from every part of the world have something to say — but too often, no one’s listening. This project is about making sure our stories are heard.”
— Zandria, Baker College Prep
“This isn’t just about stopping violence — it’s about creating peace. Peace with yourself, peace with the people around you, and peace in your community.”
— Alfredo, Roosevelt High School
Student Projects
Together Towards Peace in the News
Together Towards Peace was recently highlighted by ABC7 for its work supporting youth-led solutions to gun violence.
