Dear Hamilton Community,

It is with deep sorrow that we acknowledge the recent tragic loss of two young lives to gun violence in our city. There are no words sufficient to hold the weight of such grief. We mourn with the families, the friends, and all those whose lives have been shaken by these moments. We hold you in our prayers, in our thoughts, and in our collective responsibility.

In times like these, we are reminded of a truth deeply rooted in the spirit of Ubuntu—I am because we are. Our lives are bound together. The pain of one is the pain of all. And yet, so too is the responsibility for healing, for rebuilding, and for reimagining what is possible. This moment calls us not only to grieve, but to reflect. Across our city, too many of our young people are navigating isolation, disconnection, and a quiet erosion of belonging. The spaces that once nurtured identity, purpose, and community are becoming harder to access as resources shrink, priorities shift, and systems strain under pressure. We cannot afford to respond to crisis by withdrawing from the very investments that prevent it.

We must resist the temptation to only react to tragedy. If we are to honor this young life and all those at risk, we must do something harder, something deeper: we must build. We must fight the crisis with one hand, yes. But with the other, we must build the future of our city. We must invest in the social, educational, and community-based supports that create pathways for our youth to belong, to grow, and to thrive. These are not luxuries. They are lifelines.

When young people have access to mentorship, to safe spaces, to culturally grounded programs, to opportunities for leadership and growth, we do not just change individual outcomes, we change trajectories. We change communities. We change the futures. And yet, today, too many young people sit on waiting lists for programs that could change their lives. Too many organizations doing critical work are forced to do more with less. Too many opportunities for prevention are lost long before crisis emerges. This is not inevitable.

It is a choice.

As we reflect, we invite our entire community to reflect on what it means to truly show up for our young people because each of us has a role to play.

Within our means, we can:

• Support community-based organizations working directly with youth
• Invest in programs that foster belonging, well-being, and development
• Volunteer, mentor, advocate, and partner
• Help ensure that waiting lists become a thing of the past

Because the future of Hamilton is not built in moments of crisis alone. It is built in the quiet, consistent work of care, connection, and community.

Let this moment not only break our hearts, but also let it open them. Let it move us beyond grief into responsibility. Let it remind us that the safety, dignity, and future of our young people is not someone else’s work, but ours.

In honouring the life lost, may we recommit ourselves to building a city where every young person knows they belong, where they are seen, supported, and given the opportunity to become all they are meant to be.

Because in the end, Ubuntu calls us to this:

We are only as strong, as safe, and as whole as the most vulnerable among us.

With compassion and resolve,

Leo Nupolu Johnson
Chief Empowerment Officer
Empowerment Squared