Nonprofit healing garden helps Philadelphia teens impacted by gun violence

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The new healing garden at the Philadelphia nonprofit Level Up is helping young people who are directly impacted by gun violence.

The garden is an urban oasis in the city, which has been riddled with crime and violence in recent weeks.

"When I first came here, I was like, 'I am not touching anything,'" said Diamonique Smith.

READ | Level Up nonprofit helps at-risk teens dealing with gun violence in Philadelphia

Since coming to the garden, Smith has discovered her green thumb.

"Watering the plants and putting them down in the garden. It feels so therapeutic," she said.

The new garden at Level Up is a space for young people to heal from the continuing violence unfolding around them.

"I lost my brother, my godbrother, to gun violence,'' said Smith.

The 16-year-old says it happened two years ago, and she was concerned for her safety ever since.

"I feel safe here," she noted.

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"Our young people are going through more now than ever, and we need this additional safe space," said Pastor Aaron Campbell, the founder of Level Up.

Teens built flower boxes, filled them with dirt, and planted the seeds in the garden.

They're also responsible for tending to the dozens of flowers and vegetables, including eggplants and cucumbers.

"This is a place where they can come and sit and heal," Campbell said.

Campbell also said the garden taught people how to get through a tragedy.

"It's fruitfulness on the other side of tragedy, fruitfulness on the other side of pain," he said.

"You know when you don't like to do something and you do it for a little while, you just go with the flow and you start to like it," said Smith. "I can't really explain it. I like it."