DURHAM, N.C. — Community leaders are calling for action after five people were shot in Durham on April 11 in three separate shootings in just two hours.

North Carolina communities are seeing a rise in gun violence. It’s the reason police chiefs across our state are advocating for more positive opportunities for teens.

What You Need To Know

  • Community leaders are calling for action after five people were shot in Durham April 11 in three incidents over two hours
  • Derick Cagle of GQ Barber Academy works with teenage boys on conflict resolution
  • Cagle uses barbershop talk to start deep conversations at POOF Teen Center  

One program keeps its doors open late after school and during the summer to give teens an outlet.

With clippers in hand, Derick Cagle of GQ Barber Academy shows teenage boys in North Durham how to resolve conflict without guns. Teens get involved in deep conversations at the POOF Teen Center, which stands for Planning Our Own Future.   

Cagle brings barbershop talk to the after-school and summer program because he knows many teens like 15-year-old London Hunter can’t always make it to the shop.

“This program, it keeps you out of trouble, like it keeps you here, you go certain places, you learn new stuff. It just helps you a lot,” Hunter said.

Last month five people were shot in Durham within a two-hour span, including a 16-year-old boy who died.

“To be honest, it makes me concerned for myself and my friends,” Hunter said.

Hunter says he’s used to hearing gunshots in his neighborhood and looks forward to the barbershop talk because it gives students a chance to tackle subjects like gun violence and anger management and, most importantly, provides a way to stay off the streets.

“To be honest, my mom, she wants us to be outside, but just not in that neighborhood. That’s why she brought us here, because to be honest, if I didn’t really start coming here, there’s a lot of things I wouldn’t have done,” Hunter said.

Cagle says the biggest lesson he wants students to learn is to think twice before they react, so that they don’t become a negative statistic.

“Being a decent human being is the primary goal. When I say decent, I mean the core basics, ethics, morals, respect,” Cagle said.

Outside of barbershop talk, POOF offers other activities every day where students learn about financial literacy, hear from guests speakers who are entrepreneurs, and this summer, they’re going to Jamaica.

Before they go out of the country, they’re required to learn how to save and start a savings account.

POOF operates solely on donations. To find out how you can donate or to learn more about the program, click these links: