"His friends were angry...hurting...in pain, helpless and unable to deal with the tragedy," said Leite, KAL director, whose bachelor's degree is in psychology and master's degree is in educational counseling. "At the funeral I had to break-up a couple of fights. That day changed my life, and in that moment I took my cue to make a difference. I was determined that Khalil's death would be a beacon light of hope for these young people. Kids kept calling my house to talk and cry. Some of their parents would call me and ask for help and advice. To my surprise, there were no support groups for youth survivors of violence and no directory of violence prevention programs in metro Atlanta.
"Most of the youth and some of their parents have never been seen by a mental health professional to help them work through their grief," said Leite. "Some are depressed, frustrated, scared, angry and filled with a `get even revenge' that puts them at risk of perpetrating a violent act or being a victim of violence. I have seen the violent death of a child push some families over the edge, leading to divorce, isolation, attempted suicide, abuse of alcohol, drugs and other high risk behaviors. Many of the males, and particularly the fathers, are completely devastated and broken. I believe that some of these individuals may suffer from anxiety disorders such as post traumatic stress syndrome.
"These young people need adults willing to hug them. love them... adults able to get involved. As I started speaking out at community forums, I was rewarded by an outpouring of support. A grassroots movement was born...
"In the process we discovered one possible solution to youth violence. It is for survivors to offer support to youth who are grieving the violent death of multiple friends and/or family members," Leite said. "Survivors have a deep desire to prevent loss of life and to prevent other families from experiencing the pain of death. With training, youth survivors can be credible messengers of the public health approach to violence prevention. Our primary aim is to mobilize youth and adults in partnership to save future generations. Some violence prevention programs focus on taking back the streets. We believe that if we take back our kids, the streets will take care of themselves." -- Lorri Preston