Camden, NJ

Gun Violence and Youth Empowerment.

Camden, NJ was once a bustling city leading the manufacturing industry until 1970. It housed the largest shipbuilding company New York Shipbuilding, Cambell’s Soup, RCA Victor, and many more. When the industrial fever broke, the middle class ran from the city leaving it a desolate home for only the poor and now unemployed. After the race riots of 1969-1971, corruption flooded the city with 3 mayoral indictments in the past few decades. Police numbers were cut due to the increasing poverty of the city and crime blew through the roof. There was a point in time in which one person was getting shot every 33 hours. Now 42% of the population is under the poverty line with the average income being $26,000 compared to the rest of New Jersey’s average of $71,000. Through working with youth and implementing community policing, Camden has peaked its head from the shadow’s of a dark past and made impressive strides towards bettering their community. Unfortunately, they still rank #4 in the top 100 most crime-ridden cities of America. The fight is still there to lift the city out of poverty and crime and show youth another way out. In this city 48% black and 47% Hispanic, our people are grappling with socioeconomic sustainabilities that extend decades before our present. ASB will travel to Camden, NJ to unwind the thick webs of violence and poverty through impactful and meaningful interaction with Camden’s youth. By expanding their perspectives and reinstilling hope, we aspire to help Camden turn their community back into what Walt Whitman once described as “a city invincible.”

• Conflict Resolution
• Youth Empowerment