By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
The impact of gun violence on Black communities in the US is disheartening. A Black person is shot and wounded every 11 minutes, and in Illinois alone, Black people are 32 times more likely than White people to die as a result of gun homicide, which is three times the national average. According to Oneaimil.org, Chicago has 29 firearm homicides per 100,000 residents, which is six times higher than New York City and three times higher than Los Angeles.
The numbers indicate that gun violence throughout the United States is a major issue that has yet to be resolved, especially in Chicago, where firearms are the leading cause of death for children, with an average of 183 children and teens dying each year.
Crystal Dyer, who tragically lost her grandson to gun violence in Chicago just days after his 18th birthday, took it upon herself to prevent other families from experiencing similar pain. Despite the devastating loss of an immediate family member, Dyer channeled her grief towards improving the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, which is where her grandson Devin was killed. In 2015, she founded the Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures (CAYTA) to reach at-risk youth and young adults with programs designed to expose them to a world outside of their neighborhood.
CAYTA is a non-profit organization that specializes in introducing young people to travel, culture, and history. The program explores local and international destinations, building social skills through relationship building and investigation of the world around them, which decreases violence. Their vision, as described, is simple: “to do our part in making the world a better place for our underserved, undereducated, and under-resourced youth populations,” followed by a mantra of “mentor youth with a purpose” by providing access to endless career options and life experiences.
The program, which is 100% funded by donations and sponsorships, includes educational mentoring, anti-violence techniques, job training, college, and museum visits along with a recently launched aviation class.
Dyer, a resident of the Austin community and world-renowned travel agent, opened the first African American-owned travel agency in the community. In addition, she takes youth and young adults between the ages of 14-23 on a genealogy journey of their family roots. By doing this, there is a chance for them to win a trip to Ghana, Africa, where their ancestors lived generations ago. The trip is set for July 30 to August 11.
CAYTA also provides a Teen Reach Afterschool Program that is offered six days a week and allows youth from ages 11-17 to receive help in a safe environment at Dyer’s travel agency.
Turning tragedy into a positive outlet for upcoming youth and young adults, Dyer says that the goals for CAYTA have nothing to do with a dollar amount.
“Our goal through the workforce training program is to show kids that there are other ways of making money instead of selling drugs. The payoff for me? The success stories,” says Dyer. “One young man came to me and said, ‘Ms. Crystal, my whole family was selling drugs, but now I am driving a bus for the city, thanks to you.’ If I can change even one life, that is what gets me up in the morning.”
