Sandy Hook Promise, the community organization formed in the days following 12/14, will premiere a new documentary tonight at the Helen Mills Theater in New York City. The documentary is part of a comprehensive educational effort designed to help parents protect children from becoming future victims of gun violence.

The documentary, What They Left Behind, chronicles stories of gun violence and aims to shed light on the underlying issues that allow these tragedies to take place. Through these stories, Sandy Hook Promise introduces a new approach that engages and empowers Americans in the prevention of gun violence in our country.

Directed by Tarik Karam and executive produced by Stephen Daldry, the Academy Award-nominated director behind The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and conceived pro bono by the creative advertising agency BBDO New York, the documentary-short explores the gun-related deaths of three children, the circumstances leading up to the shootings, the impact on their families, and how the tragedies may have been prevented.

Three vignettes unfold to tell the story of youth affected by gun violence: a 17-year-old girl who committed suicide with her father’s gun; an argument among young teenage boys in Iowa that ended in bloodshed; and the Barden family, who lost their 7-year-old son, Daniel, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Each story underscores a new programmatic element that Sandy Hook Promise is announcing to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.

“I was truly honored to work on this project with Sandy Hook Promise,” said director Tarik Karam. “There is nothing more important than carrying this message to parents, schools, and communities across the nation. We need to come together and acknowledge that gun violence is a real threat that our children face each day, and there are real actions we can collectively take to reduce the occurrence of these tragedies and protect those most vulnerable among us.”

“This was an extremely difficult film to make as we approach the second year since our sweet, little Daniel was so brutally torn from our family, but we can only hope that somehow by sharing what we have experienced we can help other communities learn how to avoid a similar fate,” said Mark Barden. Mr Barden is advocacy director of Sandy Hook Promise.

In addition to What They Left Behind, there is also a companion three-minute video, called Monsters Under the Bed, being released online that powerfully compares and contrasts the fact that parents are better prepared to protect their children from imaginary threats than the real threat of gun violence. This video can be viewed on sandyhookpromise.org as well as on social media channels like Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube and Twitter.

Sandy Hook Promise is also introducing its tools and programs to help parents and communities protect children from gun violence, and focused on preventative steps to help stop individuals from hurting themselves or others with a firearm.

The tools and programs include “Know the Signs,” which educates parents, guardians, and caregivers of children and young adults on the early warning signs, symptoms, and behaviors of at-risk individuals, and how to intervene to help them from hurting themselves or others.

“Say Something” educates youth to tell a responsible adult if they see, hear, or read something on social media or elsewhere indicating an individual may be a threat to themselves or others.

“Reach Out” teaches children, teens, and young adults how to be socially inclusive by learning the causes and signs of exclusion or isolation, and what actions to take to be more connected and inclusive.

“Keep It Safe and Secure” provides and educates parents and communities on how to protect children from gun tragedies through safe storage, modeling responsible gun ownership, and teaching children what to do if they see a gun.

“Instill the Skills” provides parents, caregivers, and those involved with youth with the tools to instill social and emotional development skills into children and youth, to encourage and create caring and nonviolent communities.

“In the two years since I lost my son, I have been speaking with communities across the country to better understand the causes of gun violence,” said Nicole Hockley, communications director for Sandy Hook Promise and mother of 6-year-old Dylan, who died 12/14.

“What we have learned is that as a nation we can help to prevent tens of thousands of gun deaths, by first learning the warning signs of violent behavior, and focusing on community-based programs to help and heal those most at risk,” said Ms Hockley.

Monsters Under the Bed or downloaded from youtu.be/UZN93Mk73_k can currently be viewed at qlnk.io/ql/54864f9ce4b057ea2df0d8c4, and later at sandyhookpromise.org. What They Left Behind was also expected to be available for viewing at sandyhookpromise.org following the premiere.

Sandy Hook Promise, based in Newtown, is led by several families who lost loved ones in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The organization engages and empowers parents and communities with targeted prevention programs designed to protect children from gun violence in the areas of mental wellness early-identification and intervention, social and emotional development, and firearm safety and security.