Reading teacher Angel Dwyer believes her students at Franklin Middle School are more engaged when they can see how learning impacts their daily lives.

She helps them find their power in writing.

“Do you recall what it was like being a middle schooler filled with ideas and opinions of the world around you, yet desperate to have your voice heard rather than ignored?” Dwyer says. “These students have big goals for themselves and their futures, they long to help and protect their families, and most of all, they dream of having their lives matter in creating change for the better.”

Some of Dwyer’s students have reached deep into their own daily lives to share their hopes and ideas with North News readers.

The essays below offer a glimpse into the specter of violence with which they live. The essays also mark early and innocent explorations in bringing change to an often troubled and complicated world.

“While these teens explore potential solutions to the problems impacting them, their family, friends and (community), they are reminded that seeing a problem and simply complaining will not result in change,” Dwyer says. “However, writing with conviction and passion from personal experiences may result in opportunities to change within themselves well beyond what they considered.

“By reading their words, you become part of the solution.”

Start Listening

By Alyssiah Davis, 13
Look around you and take notice that a major problem in Minneapolis is kids under the age 21 are getting a hold of guns and don’t know how to be safe with them.

Nowadays kids just want to be in a gang or something. For example, my teacher told my group of classmates that someone in her class years ago shot someone because he was feeling threatened. It made her really sad because her class is about trying to deal with anger in healthy ways and stop gun violence like this from happening.

Why would you want a gun? Because it hurts people? Guns should be used for protection, not violence and you can go to jail for a long time if you have a gun. This connects with me because my uncle is in jail because he was high on drugs and shot my cousin in the back. My family broke apart because of that. My uncle is not proud of what he did. Now he is serving his time.

I think teens resort to violence with guns because they might be in a gang and they feel like that’s what they have to do. I think we need to take action by giving little kids someone to talk to before they grow up holding in anger and joining gangs. If we don’t listen to little kids, then they will keep all that stress and will take it out by using guns or worse. I don’t think we need more guns. There's already a lot of anger and violence going on in this world.

If we don’t stop gun violence and keep it from spreading, more people will die. When someone dies from a gunshot, they suffer and their family does too. Guns are dangerous. My little cousin, who was six or seven, got shot last summer and died. It made me feel sad because she was my cousin, and she was so little. It’s time for people in Minneapolis to hear us out and stop the gun violence. Start listening to the voices of us teens!

We Want Our Anger to Matter

By Brandon Jones, 13

In a society said to grant equal rights to all, why are some groups of people favored over others, especially when it comes to race?

One crucial problem in Minneapolis that I’ve seen is students of color can’t afford school materials, clothing, and other things that would help them succeed in school.

They also have fewer people to talk to when they’re angry. It’s different in the suburbs. In the suburbs, they can drive, do donuts with their car, go to school and not have to worry about the police pulling them over because they’re rich and can afford to get through their problems.

This affects me because I have been judged for what other people see or how they make me react on purpose. I’ve been told my anger is a “horrible problem.” For white people, there are solutions to their anger like therapy and psychiatrists. But who is there for African-American males who are just trying to channel their anger? If you were in my shoes, you would be angry, too.

I think society needs to take action by listening to me and hearing my side even though it might not be noticed by some people. Listen to the voices of us young children and teenagers. We want the violence and racism to stop. We want our anger to matter. We want to feel noticed!

We Need to Take Action

By Noemy Zhanay Gomez, 12

Have you noticed a serious problem in Minneapolis is little kids are being killed for no reason? For example, CBS.com reported more than 10 kids in North Minneapolis were shot in 2021, and most of them died.

This affects me and other kids. We’re afraid to go to school because we never know if we will be in danger. You shouldn't be afraid to go to school. You shouldn't be scared to go on a bike ride and be shot because someone can't control their feelings.

Some solutions to this problem are teaching kids at a young age how to try to fix their problems without violence. Show them how to manage their feelings and talk to someone before they just get to be angry adults. There should be more police to patrol the streets to make it safer for kids like me to play outside.

I think we need to take action before my little brothers get hurt. My little brothers need someone to protect them, and I can’t always be there because I have to be at school, too. Sometimes I feel worried about others’ families getting hurt. No one should be scared to go for a walk and kids shouldn’t be worried they will see their parents die by a shooting. We need to have a safer community and everybody needs to feel safe.

The power of self-care

By Sade Comer, 13

Many teens are struggling with family problems, sadness, and like they’re not good enough.

For example, my friend is dealing with having to go to another school and trying to get their grades up. Additionally, I am stressed out because I'm sometimes late to my classes. I can't even make it to my first hour.

It’s important to show self-care during difficult times because no one can give you what you're asking for. Instead of showing care only to other people, you should make it a priority to show some care to yourself.

When I am stressed out, it helps me to do something calm and relaxing by spending time with myself. For example, when I feel sad or mad or uncomfortable, I look outside my window and dream. Some positive ways that I show self-care: I sing, I draw, I build my Legos, and I take a nap sometimes.

When I wake up, I try to see what I'm thankful for. Sometimes I'll call my cousin to talk about how I'm feeling.

It helps me to take time to do things I love like drawing o listening to my favorite music. I make my own beats on a computer program called Soundtrap.

There are many things that stress me out such as when people ask questions and they already know the answer to it or they go inside my personal belongings and take my headphones and charger box. If I don’t practice self-care, then I don't really have much hope. Self-care is good for every human being. I think everyone should show self-care for their body and their mind. And care for people around them so that they're not alone in their situation.

Everyone needs support when they have stress. Everyone wants to feel calm and less stressed out. This is why you should practice self-care.

Handle Your Anger in a Healthier Way

By James Young, 12

What would you do if you could change the world? So many people in North Minneapolis die for no reason. People think it's funny and cool to kill but they don't understand how bad or how cruel it is to kill innocent people.

For example, in September 2021, my friend died after he was shot walking on the streets. And he was only 12. His family was devastated by what happened. He died right in front of his house and was killed by a teenage boy who lived beside him. This makes me mad, frustrated and sad because none of us knows who's gonna be next.

It made me sad to know how the family feels to know that their kid is dead because of a cruel selfish person who did not

care and did not have the skills to handle his own feelings without hurting someone else.

I think we need to take action by telling the world about better ways to handle conflicts and using our voices to stop these cruel people from killing for no reason.

We need to try to make the world a better place by using our anger to do good things like go to a boxing arena and punching a bag. Let's take care of our young ones and show them a better path. We have to show these angry, violent people that there’s a better way to handle anger without shooting innocent people and kids.

If we don't speak up, many more people may die in the same way and not even experience life.

Finding their power: Franklin students create change with words on a page

Start Listening

We Want Our Anger to Matter

We Need to Take Action

The power of self-care

Handle Your Anger in a Healthier Way