“The Children of Central City” followed a youth football team of 9- and 10-year-olds in one of New Orleans’ most violent neighborhoods, as a way to explore how trauma, specifically crime and poverty, impacted their health and well-being and what therapeutic resources were available in the community. The reporting highlighted a prevalence of trauma in Central City: more than half of children surveyed knew someone close to them who had been murdered; 1 in 5 had seen someone killed; and 4 in 10 had seen someone shot, stabbed or beaten. Such trauma can change how a child’s brain operates, cause physical ailments and disabilities, and be passed on to future generations. Yet quality resources to assist these families are scarce in New Orleans due to state budget cuts, a fractured network of independent charter schools, and the long-standing stigma of mental illness.
