Desmond introduces a two-fold approach to improving school safety against gun violence.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond has recently suggested a two-fold approach to improving school safety and students’ protection against gun violence.
First, the county and school districts, together with the Sheriff’s Department, can partner to assess how to make and keep schools safe, perhaps even sharing grant dollars to this end.
Additionally, he’s noted that school shooters have similar characteristics, that if addressed, could reduce the occurrence of gun violence in schools. Desmond noted that shooters have in the past been loners, young and acting out, and not academically strong in school.
To address these vulnerable youth, Desmond supports Camp LEAD. This program, he notes, will help kids get connected by bringing them together for a 3-day camp. High-schoolers engage in team-building activities and reflection. One camp graduate, Joanna Woods Maderas, says that Camp LEAD caused her to focus on personal choices and responsibility and encouraged her to think about the kind of person she wanted to be.
At Camp LEAD, kids of different backgrounds learn about each other and discover that they are not alone in their life-challenges. This eliminates the feelings of isolation when they find out others are enduring similar circumstances.
Desmond promotes Camp LEAD which focuses on Leadership, Equity, Access and Diversity. It is not a new program but came in response to the 2001 school shootings at Santana High and Granite Hills high schools.
“That past two years has caused more and more kids to become isolated. It’s imperative that we provide resources and address the root cause of the violence in our country. I’m a firm believer in Camp LEAD being the solution!,” Desmond said.
With the isolation of students in recent years due to pandemic restrictions, the camp was not able to serve as frequently as it did in the past. The camp now has about four opportunities per year where high schoolers could attend, though Desmond hopes this number could increase to at least 15 camps annually.
