MOLDINGYOUNGMINDS
Built by students. Run by students. We are 9th and 10th graders leading a real movement — because we refuse to lose another one.
Molding Young Minds in Motion
A 10-second look at the movement built by Denby High School students to protect, mentor, and lead Detroit youth.
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We believe the youth is the next generation.
We are high school students in Detroit who refuse to stand by. We're building a movement to protect middle schoolers from gun violence — bringing together parents, police, and our entire community.
This program was created, designed, and is fully controlled by 9th and 10th grade students at Denby High School. We didn't wait for adults to fix the problem — we built the solution ourselves.
We show up in schools, neighborhoods, and lives with mentorship, safe spaces, and real talk.
“We talk to the youth because we are the youth — and we refuse to lose another one.”
Join Us at Our Next Events
WE'RE SPEAKING AT BREWER ACADEMY
April 13, 2026
Brewer Academy — Detroit, MI
Our fight is for the youth of Detroit. This is our first official talking event — bringing our message of safety and hope directly to the students of Brewer Academy.
BREWER ACADEMY VISITS DENBY
April 15, 2026
Brewer Academy → Denby High School — Detroit, MI
Brewer Academy students come to Denby High School — connecting youth, building bonds, and spreading our mission in person.
Our Programs
Every program we run is designed by students, for students. We know what works because we know what we needed.
PEER INTERVENTION
Trained student mentors identify youth at risk and step in before violence escalates. We interrupt the cycle because we understand it from the inside.
REAL TALK: GUN VIOLENCE
Honest, no-filter conversations with middle schoolers about the realities of gun violence — what it costs, who it hurts, and why carrying isn't protection.
SAFE ROUTES & SPACES
We map out safe routes in the community and build trusted safe spaces where youth can go instead of the streets — because safety has to be a real option.
GRIEF & HEALING CIRCLES
Many of us have lost someone to gun violence. We hold space for grief, trauma, and healing — because you can't build a future while carrying unprocessed pain.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A KID IN A GUN VIOLENCE CITY?
For most kids around the world, childhood means playgrounds and laughter. For kids in Detroit, it too often means funerals, fear, and figuring out how to survive a walk home from school.
1 in 3
Detroit kids have witnessed gun violence in their neighborhood before the age of 13.
Every 4hrs
A child in Detroit is affected by a shooting — as a victim, witness, or grieving family member.
72%
of Detroit youth report feeling unsafe walking to school or the store in their own community.
Being a kid in Detroit means going to sleep to the sound of gunshots and waking up to find out someone you knew didn't make it.
It means carrying grief no child should carry — skipping the park because it's not safe, choosing routes to school based on which blocks are least dangerous.
It means growing up fast. Too fast. Childhood shouldn't end at 12.
“We didn't choose this city's problems. But we're choosing to be the solution — because no kid should grow up the way we did.”
The Numbers Speak
YOUTH MENTORED
STUDENT MENTORS
SCHOOLS REACHED
STUDENT-LED
Detroit Youth Gun Violence — The Real Numbers
309
Homicides in Detroit in 2022
Over 12% of shooting victims were children under 18 — that's at least 18 kids killed in a single year in our city alone. (NICJR / Detroit Police Dept., 2022)
33%
Rise in Youth Gun Violence
Detroit saw a 33% increase in young victims of gun violence in summer 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. More than a dozen teens were shot in just weeks. (WDIV / Detroit PD, 2025)
7×
Detroit vs. National Average
Detroit's homicide rate of 47.9 per 100,000 is nearly 7 times the national rate of 6.9. Gun violence is the #1 cause of death for children across the U.S. (CDC, NICJR)
Sources: National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (NICJR) Detroit GVA Report 2023, Detroit Police Department, WDIV ClickOnDetroit (Aug. 2025), CDC National Center for Health Statistics
GOTTA SPEAK IT TO EXISTENCE — THEN YOU GOTTA LIVE IT.
Meet Our Leaders
These are the students powering the movement — 9th and 10th graders who chose to lead instead of follow, speak instead of stay silent.
School Leadership
SUPERINTENDENT — DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Nikolai
“Every student in Detroit deserves a school system that fights for them.”
PRINCIPAL — DENBY HIGH SCHOOL
Principal Kianta
“Leading Denby High School with purpose — championing every student's voice and potential.”
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL — DENBY HIGH SCHOOL
AP Carr
“Building a school where every student feels safe, seen, and supported.”
TEACHER & ADVISOR
Mr. Ellington
“The mind that helped build this program — because he believed these students had something powerful to say.”
Student Leaders
08 Voices
01Mariah
“I carry this mission with me — because our future is worth fighting for.”
02Delana
“I lead because our community deserves better.”
03Aaliyah
“Every young mind matters — I show up for mine.”
04Jeremy
“We are the change we've been waiting for.”
05Emonie
“Safety starts with us — and we take that seriously.”
06Iyana
“I speak up so others know they're not alone.”
07Dom
“Leading by example — that's how we protect each other.”
08Malik
“Real strength is keeping your community safe.”
Tiffany — TEACHER & ADVISOR — DETROIT PUBLIC MIDDLE SCHOOL
“A driving force behind this program — her belief in these students turned an idea into a movement.”
See UsMove.
Partner With Us
Students lead this movement — but we're not turning away adults who want to be part of the solution. We want police officers and teachers who are ready to do the real work alongside us.
Police Officers
Build Trust, Not Fear
We're inviting officers who genuinely want to connect with Detroit youth to join us — not to police, but to listen. When youth see officers as humans first, the whole dynamic changes. We need officers willing to show up, sit down, and be real.
Partner as an OfficerTeachers & Educators
You See Them Every Day
Teachers are on the frontlines — you notice when something's wrong before anyone else does. We want educators who are ready to be more than just instructors: advocates, safe adults, and bridges between school and our program.
Partner as an Educator“We're not asking adults to lead — we're asking them to WALK WITH US.”
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE STANDS WITH US
“The Mayor's Office will do everything in her power to turn Molding Young Minds into a fully recognized organization — because Detroit's youth deserve nothing less.”
CITY OF DETROIT — MAYOR'S OFFICE
With the support of Detroit's city leadership, we are working to grow Molding Young Minds into an official organization — expanding our reach to every school and every neighborhood in the city.
The Aspen Challenge
The Aspen Challenge is a nationwide youth leadership program run by the Aspen Institute — where high school teams design real solutions to real community problems and present them to national judges and leaders.
Molding Young Minds is exactly what this challenge was built for. We are youth-designed, community-rooted, and tackling one of America's most urgent crises.
Winning would bring national visibility, official recognition, and funding to expand our work across Detroit and beyond.
Learn About the Aspen ChallengeOur Goal
“We're entering the Aspen Challenge to show the nation what Detroit students can do — and to bring real resources back to our community.”
- 01National visibility for MYM
- 02Funding to expand our reach
- 03Official recognition from the Aspen Institute
- 04Proof that Detroit youth lead the way
When Officers Talk to Kids, Lives Are Saved.
One of the most powerful weapons against gun violence isn't a policy or a program — it's a conversation. When police officers sit down with young people in Detroit and speak honestly, something shifts. Fear turns to understanding. Distance turns to respect.
Real Talk
Officers sit with students — no uniforms, no badges, just honest conversations about what's happening in the streets and how to stay safe.
Trust Building
Gun violence thrives where trust breaks down. When kids and police talk, walls come down and lives are saved.
They Care Too
Officers are parents, siblings, and community members. They don't want to bury kids. They want to protect them.
We're On The Same Side
The enemy isn't the police. The enemy is the violence. Together — youth and officers — we take it on.
“A cop who knows your name is less likely to pull a trigger — and a kid who knows an officer cares is less likely to pick one up.”
60%
Reduction in youth violence in communities where structured police-youth dialogue programs are sustained over 12+ months. (DOJ Community Policing)
3×
More likely to report danger. Youth who have positive police interactions are 3x more likely to report a threat before it becomes a shooting. (OJJDP, 2021)
Police Speak Out
Officers who respond to gun violence every day share what they see, what they feel, and why they're committed to working with youth to end it.
DETROIT POLICE DEPT.
Detroit Police: Gun Violence Prevention
COMMUNITY POLICING
The Real Cost of Gun Violence
GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS
Youth & Guns: Officers Speak Up
Videos are provided for educational and awareness purposes.
We Were Born in Your Halls. Now Back Us.
Molding Young Minds didn't come from a grant, a nonprofit, or a district initiative. It came from your students — students at Denby High School who looked around and decided that waiting for adults to fix things wasn't an option anymore.
We are asking the AP and administration of Denby to do more than allow us to exist. We are asking you to champion us. Give us a room. Give us time in the building. Let us talk to students during school hours. Help us reach the kids who are most at risk before the streets do.
What We're Asking For
- 1A dedicated space in the building for meetings and mentorship sessions
- 2Permission to speak directly to at-risk students during school hours
- 3A formal partnership letter we can use to approach other schools and funders
- 4Your presence — even once — at one of our events to show students the school stands with us
- 5Help connecting us with counselors, social workers, and community resources
- 6A public endorsement from Denby administration on our website and materials
“We are not a discipline problem. We are not a liability. We are the solution that was already inside your school — waiting to be trusted.”
Denby is our home. We want to make it safer — with or without institutional support. But we'd rather do it with you.
Your Students Are Dying.
We're The Answer.
Detroit Public Schools Community District — we are students at Denby High School, and we started Molding Young Minds because no one else was doing enough. Not the city. Not the state. And not the district.
While gun violence claims the lives of Detroit teenagers at 7 times the national rate, we built a peer-led movement from scratch — with zero district funding, zero official recognition, and zero institutional support. We've spoken at schools, connected with police, and reached youth that traditional programs never could.
We are not asking for permission to care about our community. We are asking DPSCD to show up for theirs.
What We're Asking For
- 1Officially recognize Molding Young Minds as a district-wide student-led initiative.
- 2Grant us access to present our program at every DPSCD high school in Detroit.
- 3Allocate resources and space for peer mentorship programs in your buildings.
- 4Stop treating gun violence like someone else's problem — it's happening in your schools.
- 5Stand behind the students who are already doing the work you haven't.
Reach Out to Us“The students of Detroit deserve a district that fights for them as hard as they fight for each other.”
Every School. Every Kid.
Molding Young Minds was built at Denby High School — but the mission belongs to all of Detroit. We're working to bring our peer-led violence prevention program to every DPSCD high school in the city.
Active Schools
Denby High School
Founding School · East Side
Brewer Academy
Partner School · Northwest Detroit
Next Targets
Cass Technical High School
Renaissance High School
Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High
Southeastern High School
Pershing High School
Western International High School
Henry Ford High School
Mackenzie High School
Detroit Collegiate Prep at Northwestern
Osborn High School
East English Village Preparatory Academy
Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men
Marquette Elementary-Middle School
Hamilton Academy
Hutchinson Elementary
J.E. Elementary-Middle School
Pulaski Elementary
Carstens Elementary
Garvey Academy
Are You a Principal or Administrator?
Bring Molding Young Minds to your school. Our student-led team will work directly with your students to build a safer, more connected community. No cost. Just commitment.
Bring Us to Your SchoolThis Is Bigger Than Us
Whether you're a student who wants to mentor, a teacher who wants to support, or a community member who believes in what we're building — there's a place for you. This movement grows when the community stands with us.
Reach Out
jermm7126@gmail.com
Find Us
Denby High School — 12800 Kelly Rd, Detroit, MI 48224
Support Our Mission
Share our story, volunteer your time, or connect us with your school.
The Future Is In Our Hands
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