South, West Side Youths Pitch Ideas to Key City Leaders with Support from Global Ad Agency; Millions Will See Their Work As Part of Project Unloaded Campaign
CHICAGO – Nearly 50 teens from the South and West Sides spent six weeks creating anti-gun violence social media campaigns, and now millions will see their heartfelt, fact-based work.
The youths showcased their ideas at a pitch competition judged by standout Chicagoans in the downtown offices of global ad agency Havas Chicago on Friday. The winning campaign will be part of an upcoming social media campaign by Project Unloaded, an organization using youth-powered narrative and culture change to reduce gun violence.
“It’s always young people who drive culture,” said Nina Vinik, founder and president of Project Unloaded. The organization brought together the teens, mentors from Havas Chicago and key city figures to spread awareness about why young people are safer when they decide against owning or using guns.
“The goal of this program is to make sure young people know the power they wield to help create a safer future and empower them with the data and tools they need to be agents of positive change,” Vinik added.
Teens worked in teams to develop three distinct and big ideas to engage their peers on the risks of using guns. The teams based at Al Raby High School, Breakthrough Urban Ministries and St. Sabina Church spent a month and a half researching, scripting and filming content using humor, heart and their lived experience with gun violence to create compelling campaigns.
Then they wrote and refined a pitch deck to explain their ideas.
All along, they took their questions to creatives at Havas Chicago’s offices, and through Project Unloaded they learned why – contrary to popular belief – having a gun adds risk, not safety.
“It’s an honor to welcome young people into our space—to help them build creative skills, amplify their voices, and see the power they hold to make real change,” said Kat Ott, president of Havas Chicago. “Our partnership with Project Unloaded has been so inspiring, and we’ve seen just how transformative social media can be when used with purpose. When teens harness it to speak out, share ideas, and drive action, it becomes a force for good—and we’re proud to help guide and support that work.”
With those facts in mind, teens built and presented their own social media campaign ideas to lead their peers away from using and owning guns.
Pitch competition judges included Chicago Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Garien Gatewood, former Chicago Public Schools Chief of Safety and Security Jadine Chou, Chicago-based human rights lawyer, activist and content creator Qasim Rashid, VP of Social Impact for Showtime/MTV Erika Soto Lamb and Laia McClain, a second-year Project Unloaded Youth Council member, former community program participant and incoming senior at Whitney Young High School.
“Too often, Chicago’s young people are painted as a public safety problem, but as this program clearly demonstrates, young people should instead be seen as the solution,” said Chicago’s Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Garien Gatewood. “Today we watched teens speak out about how much gun violence has impacted their generation and share their big ideas for how we can inspire their peers to join the fight against gun violence. The administration of Mayor Brandon Johnson is committed to citywide collaboration in the mission to build safer communities, and we look forward to continued partnership with the youth and youth-serving organizations of Chicago.”
The winning campaign, You A Goofy, will be incorporated into Project Unloaded’s social media campaigns, which reach millions of teens nationwide, including more than 150,000 teens in Chicago, annually with engaging, fact-based videos highlighting the risks of gun use and ownership.
Since its founding in 2022, Project Unloaded has reached more than 6 million teens (approximately 25% of the 13-17-year-old population in the U.S.) through its social media campaigns. This is the third year of Project Unloaded’s summer program in Chicago. A case study on its first summer program is available here.