The essays are part of the "Do the Write Thing" Challenge Program and were submitted by young people in several U.S. cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and the District of Columbia). The primary goal of the program is to encourage participating students to think about their role in society and realize they have the responsibility and the power to change their environment. The young people were asked to consider the sources of youth violence and to write about how they could deal with violence in their lives. Essays of 20 finalists in the Do the Write Thing Challenge Program are included.