PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Next week, hundreds of teens will take part in a two-day event designed to help them address youth violence and come up with strategies to accomplish their greatest goals.

It's an expansion of a youth symposium held last year in response to a number of gun-related deaths of local teens.

"The kids want their neighborhoods back," said Dennis Floyd Jones, executive director of Youth Enrichment Services. "They want their schools back. They want their families and schools back. They don't want to live in trauma."

He said his symposium is a collaboration between leaders, educators and community groups in Allegheny County. It aims to play a preventative part in youth violence. 

"We want them to feel valued," Floyd Jones said. "We want them to feel recognized. We want them to feel like we see them."

More than 300 kids from a number of neighborhoods are registered for the two-day event. It takes place at the Petersen Events Center on July 13-14. It includes panel discussions and breakout sessions with experts about violence prevention and other life skills to help them prepare for a brighter future. 

"The director of Partner4Work is going to be there to talk about his vision for building a more robust academic and career tracking for these kids," Floyd Jones said.

When kids leave the event, organizers hope they leave with a renewed since of confidence, goals and the tools to achieve them. Floyd Jones believes this positive approach will have a preventative impact on youth violence.

The work for the kids continues once the symposium wraps up. They will soon be forming a teen council that will be a direct link between the youth and county leaders, helping identify resources surrounding mediations, employment, education and more.