Oronde McClain understands the pain of surviving gun violence. He was shot in the head at age 10 in Philadelphia, and it took him 12 years to recover from his injuries. Two decades later, he’s no longer a victim. Instead, he has transformed into a survivor and activist. The married father of five is also an author of the book, “PTSD Won’t Define Me.” | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Andre Wright has been a wreck since the Fairmount rowhouse fire. As leader of Give and Go Athletics, which runs both a recess and after-school basketball program at Bache-Martin Elementary school, he knew several of the young victims well and had coached siblings Destiny McDonald, 15, and Quintien Tate-McDonald, 16. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Bilal has partnered with Black Men Heal to create a short film increasing public awareness about the pressing need for Black men to have greater access to mental health support and to stop their silent suffering. | From: Fun Times (Read more.)
With counseling not often part of standard hospital protocol — and if it is, not always covered by health insurance — it’s hard to know where to turn for help. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods experiencing trauma. Mass death caused by COVID-19, large-scale unemployment, rising homicides, fatal drug overdoses, and continued racial injustice sparked by police shootings are the foundations of the city’s traumatic experiences. | From: Metro Philly (Read more.)
For Malik Clark, 21, basketball has always been a way to keep busy and out of trouble. This Sunday, the game will also work as a form of group therapy. Forty young people, all of whom have been affected by gun violence, will play for a $1,500 prize they will donate to a local nonprofit of their choosing. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Horton, board chairperson for Disability Pride PA, said shooting statistics don’t capture the physical and mental toll it can have on a person.
Disability Pride Philadelphia is looking to change that by asking people affected by gun violence to flood Instagram and Facebook with their personal stories. | From: WHYY (Read more.)
Poverty and trauma take more than mental tolls on children. Childhood adversity affects kids’ physical development too, and new research suggests it leaves its mark in an unexpected place: teeth. | From: The Inquirer (Read more.)
Parental substance use is a factor in more than one-third of all foster care placements nationally. | From: Philadelphia Weekly (Read more.)
At the Better Gun Violence Reporting summit in Philly, people who’ve been impacted firsthand by gun violence requested news organizations share resources when reporting on issues like this — so we put together this list. | From: Billy Penn (Read more.)
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