Bryan Castillo beamed under the stage lights as his peers cheered him on. Sitting on a high stool, he arranged the pages of his poem on a music stand and began to read.
“The way I envision gun violence prevention is by building strong local networks to intervene before violence happens,” he said. The poem went on to discuss other ways to defuse conflict. Then it went on to explore why people carry firearms: “a gun can serve as a shield. It can stand in a doorway when danger approaches … Its voice is powerful enough to send the fear running away.”
Castillo wrote the poem as a Gun Violence Prevention intern last summer in our COFA (Creating Opportunities for Amsterdam) program. COFA is designed to ensure young people in the Amsterdam Houses NYCHA development have the support they need to thrive as adults. It hooks participants up with education, internships, and networking, while exposing them to new things—like writing poetry.
“Some people don’t look at themselves as being creative or expressive in a poetic way,” said COFA Director Rodney Spradley. “But each intern that was assigned the task completed it, and that they did a good job of expressing themselves through poetry.”
“It was a very good experience. We were able to share our thoughts,” Castillo recalled.
Other offerings at the talent show included singing and dancing. Isabella Torres-Nazario, an Amsterdam Houses resident who’s too young for COFA, helped open the show by playing a minuet for violin by Luigi Boccherini.
“I was a little nervous at first but once I got up there and started playing I wasn’t as nervous,” she said.
Spradley pronounced the show a success.
“There are always improvements we can make, but the kids were enthusiastic,” he said. “They were eager, they were engaged, and that’s what matters.”