New documentary on gun violence to premiere in New Haven

NEW HAVEN — Youth Rights Media, a Connecticut nonprofit dedicated to building youth power and leadership through video media production and community organizing, premieres its new documentary on gun violence June 5, at 1 p.m. June 5 in the Lecture Hall of the Yale Art Gallery, 1111 Chapel St.
The youth-produced film explores the root causes of gun violence and its devastating effects upon individuals and communities, questioning whether such governmental policies as the War on Drugs help resolve or escalate the problem. Admission is free.
The inspiration for the film came from the young people’s personal experiences, according to Janis Astor del Valle, YRM’s Executive Director. “Every youth in our program knows at least one person who’s been a victim gun violence – one of our young women recently lost her boyfriend to a shooting,” she said. “And every time I do a presentation for youth groups around the state, I ask, ‘How many of you know someone who’s been shot?’ Almost every youth in every group raises their hands. That’s way too many,” she said. “I think there have been over 70 shootings in New Haven so far and we’re not even halfway through the year. Another issue our youth’s film tackles is how guns have become so accessible, especially to young people.”
To RSVP: Janis@youthrightsmedia.org.

Editor's note: All information in this post was contributed.