When gun violence recently rocked the city of Newburgh, a small group of barbers in New Windsor teamed up to offer an alternative to violence in the form of "Clippers Not Guns."

Among the barbers, there’s a recent addition to the team: Miguel Cruz, who has decided to take his future into his own hands.

“I mean, it's great,” said Cruz. “I feel, I feel great. This is really big for me.”

Cruz, 17, is a senior at Newburgh Free Academy North Campus. He said after learning about the episodes of gun violence, going to school started making him nervous.

“It's been a disaster,” said Cruz. “I don't know why. People just don't have the mind or the courage to just do whatever they want, but they rather have the guns instead of opportunities that are really out there.”

The opportunity for him came in the form of a program called “Clippers Not Guns,” set up by Joey Caban and Gustavo Watts.

Cruz’s mom reached out on behalf of her son.

Caban, a barber at Gustavo’s Barbershop, said he’s received tremendous support from the community from various donors and organizations. He said he wants to continue helping other at-risk youth leave the streets and pick up a hobby that could make a positive difference.

“To be able to have somebody come in here and if it's just one or two or three, it feels good because then, you know, it's keeping them away from not only doing something to somebody else, but being the victim, as well,” said Caban.

Cruz said he hopes to pick up some barber skills as a way of making some extra money when he goes to college.