INDIANAPOLIS — The "Barbershop Talk" series, which brings together Indianapolis youth to talk about their challenges and how crime impacts them, is back for the summer.
"A beef that started from a lie. It's just a created lie," Antonio Patton, organizer of Barbershop Talk said.
During this month's "Barbershop Talk," Indy youth had a chance to dive into peer pressure and grudges and how they can spiral into violence.
"I'll never turn down a chance to learn something," Javon Fry, a 16-year-old who attended said.
Tuesday, more than a dozen teenagers filled Hair Above on East 52nd Street. Many pointed to social media as the root of disagreements among their peers.
"Beef is so indirect nowadays. It's based around social media," Fry said.
"Nine times out of 10, you don't know who said it. I know all these little Instagram pages. No one knows who posted it," a teenager participating in the conversation said.
"I may feel this way. He might feel that way. At the end of the day, they are still going to feel how they want to feel," another teen participating said.
The youth who attended argued that times are different now and sometimes what one may post on social media leads to poor decisions in real life.
"Its curiosity, animosity, ignorance, all of that is poison to the youth," Fry said.
Most of those who attended expressed being strong individually to look beyond peer pressure and disagreements.
"You can't teach nobody who doesn't want to learn," Fry said.
Tuesday night, Patton encouraged the youth to rise above, set the example, and be the game-changer among their peers.
"If you could just teach one and then that one teaches another, that can hit the whole campus," said Patton.
The "Barbershop Talk" series has received a lot of attention. Various school districts have invited Patton to bring these conversations directly to their students.
Wednesday, Patton will meet with students at Renaissance School in Warren Township.
If you want to join Patton or send your teenager to join the conversation, here's the schedule for the rest of the month of May.
-
Local businesses and apps step up to help Hoosiers affected by SNAP delays
From local restaurants to national apps, many companies are stepping in to help people who may not receive their SNAP benefits this month.
Hoosier veteran publishes first book at 85, about wartime experiences
At an age when many people have settled into retirement, 85-year-old Brice Tressler is just getting started on a new chapter, literally.
Plainfield restaurants step up to feed families losing SNAP benefits
Two Plainfield restaurants are stepping up to make sure families don’t go hungry after losing their SNAP benefits.
The Colts QB believes it's a blip, not an omen
Three picks. Two fumbles. Shaky decision-making. All the bad habits that Jones seemed to have left in New York resurfaced in a performance the AFC South-leading Colts believe is a one-off.
