Empowering Young People
Through Music and Mentorship
Guitars Over Guns offers students from our most vulnerable communities a powerful combination of arts education and mentorship with professional artists to help them overcome hardship, find their voice and reach their potential as tomorrow’s leaders.
Our Mission
We’re on a mission to empower young people through music and mentorship. We are here to shift how young people think about the world and their place in it. By sharing skills and experience, rooted in our common passion for music, we inspire our students to see a future that’s filled with potential – and help them be excited and accountable.
We cultivate an enriching community bound by the arts. United by community-based performances. Powered by high-quality instruction. Inspired by meaningful connections between professional musicians and our community’s youth. Because the world changes when people find their voices – and have the opportunity to be heard.
Our Impact
A safe, supported world filled with music and opportunity, where all young people can discover and reach their full potential.
of students said that their mentor expects them to try new things and do their best
of students would recommend Guitars Over Guns to a friend
of students said that their mentor pays attention to their lives and can be counted on for help
of students demonstrated measurable growth in multiple core Positive Youth Development capacities
of students felt encouraged by their mentors to work through difficult problems
Events
Band Together
Mark your calendars for a joyous celebration as we commemorate a decade of Guitars Over Guns in Chicago
September 14, 2024
Chicago
Choose Your Sound: Forever Young 80's Gala
Save the date! We are thrilled to announce the return of Choose Your Sound -- Forever Young 80's Gala
October 19, 2024
Miami
Our Success Stories
Our Success Stories
Our Communities
Miami
We launched our flagship music mentoring program with only 15 students at North Miami Middle School in 2008. From Homestead to Little Havana to Miami Gardens and beyond, we now serve hundreds of students annually through no-cost after-school, community-based and summer programs.
Chicago
In 2014, we partnered with UCAN to bring the first GOGO Chicago program to life. Our Chicago region now encompasses the South, West, and Southwest sides of the city, with a variety of in-school, after-school, community-based, and summer programs offered at no cost to youth.
Los Angeles
Following a virtual Covid-year pilot, our first in-person program in Los Angeles launched in January 2022. Our inaugural team of LA-based mentors brought guitar, bass, piano, and songwriting instruction to a cohort of two dozen students at USC Hybrid High in Historic South Central.
New York City
In January 2024, we launched our first programs in New York. Located in the heart of Harlem, we serve 5th-grade students at P.S. 197 John B. Russwurm and 6th-grade students at Urban Assembly Academy for Future Leaders. The program offerings include music production, singing/songwriting, guitar, and Hip-Hop/rap.
Our Supporters
Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Guitars Over Guns is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Children’s Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.
Made possible with the support of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Illinois Legislature, including Governor J.B. Pritzker, Senate President Don Harmon, Speaker of the House Representative Emanuel “Chris” Welch, Senate Appropriations Senator Leader Elgie R. Sims Jr., Assistant Majority Leader Senator Mattie Hunter, Education Chair Senator Adriane Johnson, Labor Chair Senator Robert Peters, Majority Officer and Sergeant-at-Arms Representative Nicholas K. Smith, Higher Education Committee Member Representative Kimberly du Buclet, Public Safety Chair Representative Rita Mayfield, and Ethics & Elections Committee Member Representative Daniel Didech, as well as the Illinois House of Representatives, for their overwhelming support and continued efforts on behalf of Guitars Over Guns and the children we serve.
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