Help Us End Gun Violence in DC!

Hi, we're Charnal and Katherine, and we're the creators of The Healing Outlet, a gun violence intervention app that will share community-created content, resources, events, stories, and learning tools around prevention and healing.

Through our app, The Healing Outlet aims to seamlessly connect people affected by gun violence in the District of Columbia with grassroots, on-the-ground organizations for prevention, intervention, and healing. This is a free space where multiple stakeholders can pool their resources, coordinate services and events, and create content that speaks to the community's specific needs. We have a vision to empower people to join the anti-violence effort by sharing - and being compensated for - their healing stories, knowledge, and talents.

In 2023, DC saw a record-breaking 274 homicides. This is a stark comparison to just 88 homicides eleven years ago, and it harkens back to homicide rates experienced in the 1970s and 1980s. But another truly concerning part of these numbers is the percentage of young people losing their lives. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens under 19 in the United States overall.

Those who survive gunshot wounds emerge with long-lasting physical and psychological trauma, and many are at high risk for falling victim again or retaliating in violence. Traumatic stress ripples outward to neighbors who witness it; family members who endure the grief and stress associated with an injured, arrested, or killed family member; first responders; teachers and counselors who must help children in high-violence areas cope with fear and loss.

The Healing Outlet is a tool that allows people to seek community-based solutions and comfort from the safety, privacy, and convenience of their phones. At the tap of a screen, a bullied youth can be linked to a support group; a grieving parent can find free therapy; a young adult contemplating retaliation can get connected with a mentor or crisis hotline. The Healing Outlet brings everything to one central place.

YOUR Donations between February 15 - July 15 will go toward:

-12 months of therapy sessions for 14 high risk youth in our pilot program to offer easy-to-access therapy through the app. We will take the success of this pilot to broaden our reach, offering youth programs this tool particularly for young people who have witnessed, experienced, or lost peers to gun violence.

-Our fees as we establish 501c3 status so we can build long-term sustainability.

What donations and grants have supported in the past:

-Paying content creators who are from communities in DC impacted by high instances of violence. This means your dollars go directly to supporting young artists, musicians, mental health professionals, teachers, mentors, and community members who want to be a part of the solution. While we provide the videographer and technical assistance, they retain ownership of their work.

-Supporting the National Week of Healing, which happens twice each year to support people in healing professions.

-Engaging youth and creative community leaders in "content creation days" where we facilitate their story-sharing and talent sharing through video and podcast recording, all of which they will be compensated for and all of which will end up on the app.

-Developing our next phase of app features, including mental health offerings and chat features.

-Organizing monthly coalition meetings to bring together violence interrupters, safe passage workers, and organizations invested in this cause.

-Grassroots outreach to ensure the community knows about the app, including compensating community ambassadors.

-Microgrants that will go toward sustaining underfunded on-the-ground organizations educating the community about trauma and healing

-Compensation for focus groups with youth and community members to ensure the app is responsive to DC's specific needs.