In April 2023, sophomore Caitlin Fleming and fellow Wire contributor and editor senior Samantha Fleming teamed up with AP Human Geography teacher Kelsey Sirmans to launch their Violence Intervention Club (VIC). The club centers around employing nonviolent de-escalation tactics for situations where violence is a seemingly viable measure. In motivating students to avoid destructive decisions, the sibling duo offers a key solution to the ever-growing complexities of violence in America.
One of the most pressing issues of today’s socio-political sphere is the threat of gun violence, which VIC aims to prevent. According to ABC, as of May 2023, there were 351 mass shootings, prematurely surpassing the number of days in the year. Mass shootings have also increased in Atlanta, posing a threat to North Atlanta High School as its location subjects it to security risks, demonstrated earlier this year after a shooting at Northside Hospital placed North Atlanta under lockdown, just nine minutes away from the campus. Student member Kaleigh Fleming speaks to her fears of this notorious phenomenon occurring at school. “I would hate for a shooting to happen at school and for us as peers to not have at least worked to somehow prevent it,” Fleming said.
Mass shootings don’t account for all forms of extreme violence, though; there is also self-inflicted violence (i.e., suicide and self-harm), murder, and homicide, issues that encompass the agenda of the VIC with training sessions on reforming responses to potentially destructive behaviors. Violence frequently comes as a consequence of rash, half-minded decisions made without proper thinking. VIC has outlined a process for self-management and avoiding dangerous tendencies with grade-level officers. “VIC instills us with strategies to deconstruct negative habits and maintain peace,” twelfth-grade officer Clara Mason said.
Non-violence is commonly mistaken as passiveness through adversity, yet founder Samantha Fleming teaches us that it is just the opposite. VIC upholds specific tenets: namely recognizing that conflict is a natural part of human interaction; instead of suppressing conflicts, seeking to transform them into growth, recognizing the implications of violence, and emphasizing healing and rehabilitation rather than punishing detrimental thoughts. “We want our fellow students to understand that there are other ways to solve conflicts and hopefully our program can provide certain techniques while raising awareness,” Fleming said.
The Violence Intervention Club has around 60 members, a promising amount for founders Caitlin and Samantha, who work toward planning their third meeting scheduled for later this month. As VIC continues to expand, the club sets an example for schools nationwide, with goals of entering North Atlanta’s more common conversations through programs encompassing the entire school community, i.e., pep rallies and assemblies. Garnering significant support from administration, students, and parents, the program’s early success shines a light on a collective commitment to creating a more peaceful, protective environment.
