This week in Boston, terror struck our nation again. For youth, 9/11 is a distant memory, and the marathon bombings are a tragic and current reminder of the evil in this world. Here are impressions and responses from The kNOw youth as they process this tragedy.

What about an investment that generates a positive social impact? When a community invests in youth leadership, it reaps the rewards for years to come.

WeConnect, an event held on Feb. 16 at the Fresno Fairgrounds, helped people with health care enrollment and it was also a resource fair. Many families came out to the event to learn more about health care changes and get resources like tax preparation and flu shots.

On January 30, 2013 Hadiya Pendleton was shot when an individual jumped a fence and opened fire on her and a group of her friends. For some reason, when I heard that Hadiya was killed, the news didn’t hit me as hard as when I heard of shootings in the past. The shooting epidemic sweeping our nation makes me fear desensitization to gun violence is becoming the norm for our country.

“The best advice I can give is only to say, don’t hold back,” says John Gonzalez as he takes his student’s hand. John, 35, is a para-educator (aka special-ed teacher) at Sunnyside High School in Fresno. He tells me that out of his 35 years of living he never would’ve thought he’d end up where he is today.