The city of Springfield, Massachusetts — like many poor, urban areas — is facing a severe problem with youth violence. Kids as young as 13 or 14 are getting pressured into joining gangs, dealing drugs, and carrying guns. And an ongoing feud between two major gangs in Springfield — called the Ave and Sycamore Street — means those guns are getting used more and more, to tragic ends. Police try to round up the most prominent gang leaders, with limited success. 

So one community organization is trying a different approach; they dispatch street outreach workers to intervene before young people go down a violent path. This story chronicles a day with the workers and the young people they’re trying to reach.