120 Initiative Reconvening

April 28th, 2025

On April 28th, PROGRESS hosted approximately 25 academic leaders, practitioners, and partners from institutions of higher learning across the National Capital Region for a reconvening of The 120 Initiative. The group met to re-establish the Initiative and outline next steps toward a coordinated, collaborative structure for advancing gun violence prevention across the region.

Participants emphasized that reducing the impact of gun violence—locally and nationally—requires drawing on the full range of academic research and ensuring those efforts are aligned across institutions. Strengthened coordination and communication emerged as essential to accelerating evidence-informed strategies and maximizing collective impact.

Next steps include rebranding The 120 Initiative, refining its mission, and building a communication infrastructure to support sustained collaboration among participating colleges and universities.