INDIANAPOLIS — Some teenagers used their acting skills to talk about the struggles many young people are facing in our community.
The play is called "Here Me, Hear Me" and the actors say it's more than a play. They say the show's purpose is to capture the raw truth about young people and their daily struggles, which can sometimes lead to tragedy.
Kareem Hines, founder of New B.O.Y. and Inner Beauty, said it's up to you to find out what that story is.
Some of the young actors in "Here Me, Hear Me" are familiar with the hardships.
"Smoking, bad environment, going back to not even a home, foster care system or juvenile, they can't even be out," said Cameron Washington.
Seventeen-year-old Aleah Adams is a survivor of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. She believes if no one listened to her, she wouldn't be where she is right now.
"A lot of adults don't see children. A lot of adults don't see youth. They just listen, but don't hear us. Those are two different things," said Adams.
Washington was one of the actors in the play Friday. He said the play mirrors his reality. As the summer gets underway, he said now is the perfect time to have these discussions about what's driving some young people to choose destructive paths.
"We are already starting to see a lot of youth violence. Dre got killed. We have a lot of young men already getting killed before the summer begins. I feel like it's going to be a scary summer," he said.
Hines said it's time for people in the community to step up and be a part of the solution.
"We cannot come up with solutions until we properly diagnose the problem," he said.