this bam circle are in thirteens. norman is 14 and wants to become a visual artist. mccarthy is 15 and dreams of being an actor or dancer and say they feel like they risk their lives every time they leave their homes. what do you think about being in school? is this something you have to worry about? police just shootings, violence, you know, generally is that something that you think about or something that is not your primary distraction? well, me, personally, i love like going outside. i love, like, interactions with people and but it s like in the neighborhood i live in it s very hard to do that. every night before i go to bed, is it a gunshot i m hearing? is it fireworks? also like i love to wear i like wearing hoodies. so it s like when i walk down the street is somebody going to
community organizing? well, you know, i probably, i m a little too gray-haired and old to be going door to door, like i used to be. and plus, secret service, still, follows me around so i m pretty disruptive. but i am going back to what inspired me to to get into public life. one of the things that inspires former-president barack obama, these days, are meetings like this one. hey, people. hey, hey. reporter: it s called a bam circle. bam stands for becoming a man. a program that started in chicago in 2001 to mentor and support boys and young men. how is everybody doing? the idea is to create a place for them to safely and honestly share their struggles and successes. issues, at home, in school, or on the streets. president obama, first, joined a bam circle back in 2013. that s when he met high school students james adams, lazerus