📝 Check out our 2024 Annual Report 

WTTW: After Sharing His Story at the DNC, Chicago Teen Continues Mission to Curb Gun Violence

Emily Soto | August 30, 2024, 3:39 pm It wasn’t just politicians and celebrities who took the stage at last week’s Democratic National Convention. Community activists were also among the spotlighted speakers. Advocates shared their stories about how gun violence has impacted their lives and inspired them to take action. Edgar Vilchez, 19, was one of […]

The Trace: What Chicagoans Want Their Next President to Know About Gun Violence

Ahead of the Democratic National Convention, residents who spoke to The Trace said they want party leaders to venture out beyond the event and listen to affected communities. By Rita Oceguera  In the lead-up to the Democratic National Convention, signs for the event blanket Chicago’s most visible landmarks. Billboards dot the highways surrounding O’Hare International Airport, […]

Going Viral for Good: Chicago Public School Students Take On Gun Violence through Social Media Pitch Competition

Through partnership between Project Unloaded and Chicago Public Schools, students combine social media marketing skills with data on risks of guns, empowering their peers to decide against owning guns Winning pitch to be incorporated into Project Unloaded’s Guns Change the Story campaign  CHICAGO – Dozens of teens from Chicago’s South and West Sides channeled their social […]

Project Unloaded Introduces its 2024-2025 Youth Council and First-Ever Creator Corps

Young people ages 15-21 serve as advisors and creatives behind social media campaigns and outreach programs to spread the message that Gen Z is SNUG – Safer Not Using Guns In its inaugural class, the Creator Corps will focus on social media content creation and amplification CHICAGO – Today, Project Unloaded, an organization reducing gun […]

The Guardian/The Trace: Friends Don’t Let Friends Buy Guns

Public health messaging once convinced young people to buckle up and stop smoking. In the TikTok era, a new set of activists is clarifying the dangers posed by firearms. BY KATIE WORTH Once upon a time in America, people rolled their eyes at seatbelts, four out of ten high school students smoked cigarettes, and campers […]