'5 Shorts Project' shares the screen with teens who have experienced gun violence

Nick Iadonisi  Image
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
'5 Shorts Project' teaches teens who have experienced gun violence

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "The 5 Shorts Project" is a youth program to teach the future filmmakers of Philadelphia.

Executive Director, Shameka Sawyer, experienced grief in her own family after her brother passed away.

5 years ago, gun violence claimed his life.

This inspired her to give a platform to people who have had similar experiences, and share their struggles through art.

One program directly handles this: "Bout Mine I Matter."

This program specifically gathers teens who have been affected by gun violence and teaches them how to express themselves creatively.

The other program is a training course in making commercials in the Germantown area.

For more information, check out the video above.

Also, check out their website.

Copyright © 2026 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.