Origins

The Violence Reduction Task Force was created to evaluate how violence is addressed at other large urban institutions and find innovative approaches to creating a sustainable approach to making the campus and surrounding neighborhoods where our students live, safer spaces.

Existing Efforts to Reduce Violence

Some of the existing efforts reviewed by the Task Force include:

• Cure Violence Philadelphia and Philadelphia CeaseFire, two (grant-funded) portfolios consisting of an array of programs focused on strengthening anti-violence social norms and providing trauma-informed support for individuals exposed to violence
• Inside-Out Prison Exchange education program creates opportunities for people inside and outside of prison to have transformative learning experiences together
• Temple Hospital’s Cradle to Grave, a violence prevention program offering young people a behind-the-scenes look into the physical, emotional, and social realities of firearm injury
• Temple University Victim Advocates program provides medical and emotional support to victims of violent crimes in the emergency department and links them to community-based services
• Temple University Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative’s efforts to mitigate financial stress through job training and placement and the city’s largest job fair
• North Central Special Services District, which addresses the physical environment (e.g., trash removal)
• Temple Campus Safety Urban Bike Club teaches, engages, and provides free bicycles to youth in the neighborhoods around Temple

Key Recommendations

After evaluating the existing efforts on campus, reviewing literature on violence reduction strategies, and interviewing leadership at other large urban institutions to understand their experiences, the Task Force carefully crafted a set of recommendations for the university to move towards a more integrated approach to creating safer spaces. The following is a summary of the key recommendations: