YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – As the violence in Youngstown continues to impact young adults and teenagers more, those who work with the kids say they are seeing the effects.

“Kids are being murdered, and there’s silence,” said Pastor Kenneth Donaldson.

Donaldson has been around Youngstown’s school district this week and says kids are frustrated and afraid in the wake of Amya Monserrat’s death. The 15-year-old was killed in a shooting at Martha’s Boulevard Tavern at the corner of Southern Boulevard and Ravenwood Avenue over the weekend. Donaldson says they don’t want kids to struggle with trauma in silence.

“I talked with some young ladies today. They hadn’t eaten or slept in a few days. One girl said ‘I’m afraid to go to sleep and every time I close my eyes, I see her,'” Donaldson said.

Youngstown police have said the violence is hitting the victims younger and younger. So far this year, three of the four homicide victims have been teenagers. The other victim was just 22.

Monica Jones, the high school principal at Rayen Early College High School, said many of the students knew Amya — and some were at the party when the shooting happened.

“Kids are having nightmares. They’re afraid to come to school, they’re afraid that somebody thinks they know something — who did it,” she said.

Rayen’s social worker, Chris Chrestay, says the trauma these students are dealing with because of the violence in the community can cause long-lasting effects.

“Six months from now, they could be sitting at home and all of a sudden burst into tears because for some reason, something triggers it. A year from now, when they know this is the anniversary, you can see triggers. It can be five years from now,” she said.

It’s been almost one year since 16-year-old Isaiah Walker was shot and killed. He was a sophomore at Rayen Early College. A few months before that, Chaney Middle School student Landon Lockhart was killed at 14 years old.

Chrestay says the students want the cycle to end.

“I’ve had them say, ‘How can we change things?’ I’ve heard that come from their mouths. ‘How can we make a change? We don’t want it to be like this, we want to be safe we want to have fun,'” she said.

Donaldson feels there are many things that can contribute to a solution, but one he feels will make a big difference is how the kids think of themselves.

“Many of these young people have no identity. The identity they’re attaching themselves to is a negative identity. So, we have to help them see themselves the way God sees them,” Donaldson said.

Several schools in Youngstown have been providing counselors and social workers this week for students.