SAVANNAH, Ga. () — As gang violence becomes an increasing point of discussion in the county, one local group is taking steps to prevent it before it starts.

The Chatham County Gang Prevention and Intervention Commission met Saturday to outline its goals for keeping young residents out of gangs through community-based programs and education. The commission said its initiatives will focus on engaging all youth, with special attention on those ages 6 to 12.

Programs will be held mostly on Saturdays and include ambassador initiatives and teen peer counseling sessions.

One standout effort is the “Show Us Your Guns” campaign, which offers youth the opportunity to have their records cleared if they have not committed any violent crimes.

Baruch Piltrid, community intervention coordinator for the commission, said, “It’s said there’s not a gang problem yet in this community, but just to prevent and intervene so there is no gang problem. We’re just gonna keep everything going to provide to the community.”

The Chatham County Gang Prevention and Intervention Commission was created under HB 750, introduced by Rep. Carl Gilliard.