Vaughn Bryant currently serves as Executive Director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, a division of Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago. Vaughn previously held leadership roles with the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools (where he developed the “Safe Passage” program), the NFL, and Stanford University. Vaughn attended the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) Executive Education program at Harvard Business School in July. In the post below, he discusses his program experience.
Gun violence has become all too familiar to many Americans, and for those living in Chicago, it’s no different. Despite many misconceptions about violence and public safety in cities, Chicago has seen a decrease in homicides and other violent crime since it reached a fever pitch in 2021, according to a report from the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab.
Due to historic and current disenfranchisement, certain communities, particularly those with majority Black or Brown populations, bear the brunt of Chicago’s gun violence. Due to both historic and current disenfranchisement, it is imperative that the root causes of gun violence are addressed through a holistic, culturally competent lens.
I lead Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, which seeks to reduce gun violence in Chicago through a variety of wraparound services that include behavioral services, workforce development, legal aid, grants management, and training for community stakeholders. MPI has successfully professionalized the field of street outreach through the Metropolitan Peace Academy, a training program designed to give street outreach workers, victim service advocates, and case managers the tools and best practices they need as the city’s “boots on the ground” for ending community gun violence.
Community violence intervention (CVI) is a comprehensive, long-term approach to reducing gun violence in communities at highest risk. MPI convenes Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), a coalition of local Chicago providers that provide CVI. Measuring the collective social impact of CP4P’s work, and over the long timeframe that CVI can take to see outcomes, can be challenging. At MPI, we emphasize data collection as a key tool for measuring the social impact of CP4P. Through relationship building, mediating conflicts, and establishing non-aggression agreements, CP4P prevented at least 383 shootings, both fatal and nonfatal, over five years, according to researchers at Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science. This approach enables us to scale our efforts, meet communities where they are, and allocate resources where they are most needed. CVI is often overlooked and underfunded, despite its critical importance. Funding for violence intervention has historically been inadequate, and with difficult budget decisions being made across all levels of government, CVI initiatives must not fall by the wayside. Each dollar invested into CVI provides between $4 to $20 of social good, saving taxpayers’ money.
CVI saves lives, which is something that motivates me every day. One life lost to gun violence is one too many, so being able to have a neighborhood and community-wide impact is incredibly rewarding. Many of those I work with, including many members of my staff, have had previous involvement with the justice system. It’s a privilege to witness their transformation from the streets to helping keep those same streets safe. Their resilience and commitment are a testament to the power of second chances and the impact of community-driven solutions.
When I learned about Harvard Business School’s SPNM program, I applied hoping to gain insights from peers and professors while sharing my experience working in the field of CVI in Chicago. I recognized that many program participants also lead direct service organizations, including some that operate at the systems level, much like MPI. In my work at MPI, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the value of connecting with and learning from individuals with lived experience.
During the program, I connected with other nonprofit leaders grappling with large and complex problems. Through discussions both inside and outside the classroom, I gained a clearer vision of MPI’s mission and a deeper understanding of the importance of effectively communicating our impact.
Participating in Professor Reshmaan Husaam’s session on systemic dispossession provided excellent context for our decision to go deeper into re-entry work. Blending re-entry with housing and workforce development is one of our greatest opportunities to strengthen our CVI ecosystem and we are excited to create solutions that not only enable successful transitions for returning citizens but also engage them in prevention work to decrease incarceration rates.
The SPNM program has further strengthened my ability to lead and scale these efforts, providing me with the tools and insights to create lasting change.
Visit us at:
Website: www.metropolitanpeaceinitiatives.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/metropolitan-peace-initiatives/
Facebook/Instagram/Threads: @metropolitanpeaceinitiatives
