Gun violence in U.S. schools has become a horrible reality. Working with non-profit gun safety advocacy group Change the Ref, we wanted to launch a radio campaign that would highlight the growing issue of school shootings, keeping them top-of-mind during the back-to-school season and encourage listeners to support gun safety legislation.

Gun violence in U.S. schools has become a horrible reality, with more than 50 cases in 2022 alone. To share this absurd reality that students are facing today, Change the Ref crafted two stories of being in a classroom, airing each one on the radio during the back-to-school season to put pressure on the support of U.S. gun control legislation.

We used audio to recreate what would be the sounds of a classroom during tense moments of a mass shooting, when the only hope students and teachers have to survive is to remain silent.

The radio spots were broadcast on local channels in Miami, a U.S. state often on the top of the list of states with the most mass shootings. As of May 2024, the state has had the most mass shootings in the year of any state so far, according to the Gun Violence Archive, an online archive of gun violence incidents collected from over 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily.

The radio reached an estimated 20,000 people during the back-to-school season, highlighting the unjust reality that many young students face in the U.S.