Visit by Creators for Community Safety to PROGRESS/UMD

August 14th, 2026

PROGRESS hosted a cohort of mentors and youth from Creators for Community Safety Institute (CCSI), a Philadelphia-based community violence prevention organization that inspires young people through engagement and social media creation. The CCSI group viewed segments of Life After the Gunshot (episode one), an award-winning documentary that highlights the harsh realities experienced by many Black men living in Washington, DC. The film was followed by a panel discussion featuring Life After the Gunshot makers Jo Richardson (who is a co-director of PROGRESS), Che Bullock, and Teivon Johnson, as well as PROGRESS Co-Director Woodie Kessel.  

While visiting UMD, the CCSI cohort also toured the Nyumburu Cultural Center—where CCSI youth performed and created social media content that revolved around violence prevention—and later took a walking tour of campus.

PROGRESS wishes CCSI well in its vital work and hopes that this university-community engagement provided insight on the ways that structural violence impacts communities and how self- and partner-driven empowerment can lead to meaningful reductions in gun violence.  

See an Instagram post about the event: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcKZ0H9lbKM/?img_index=16&igsh=Z3JkYzdxejVpYmpy