Precious Lives

Stories about kids, guns and how to stop the violence. Precious Lives, created by 371 Productions, is a 2-year, 100-part weekly radio series about gun violence and young people in the Milwaukee area. The series applies a public health lens to each story to help listeners understand the full scope of the problem: who are the victims and the shooters; how are the weapons obtained; and what can we change about the environment that contributes to violence in Milwaukee?

#052 Precious Lives: 'He’s More Than a Mentor, He’s My Pops'

WUWM 89.7 FM

Published January 12, 2016 at 10:28 AM CST

When it comes to youth violence prevention, consistent, reliable, caring adults play a big role.

A mentor can lighten the load of a single mom raising three boys while working 16 hour shifts, making it more likely that kids enroll in college and less likely that they use drugs or pick up a gun.

The Running Rebels Community Organization is a youth center with ping pong, a basketball team, a recording studio. Here, mentors work around the clock to keep young people safe.