Welcome to the companion website for the upcoming Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence: A Cross-city Approach Accelerator Workshop. We are very excited about this event, taking place on Monday, October 16, and Tuesday, October 17, 2023, and we look forward to seeing everyone soon.  Please feel free to explore this website.  We will strive to make sure that the most up-to-date information is installed.  Thank you.

Executive Summary

Storytelling is a powerful tool for exposing the truth about gun violence and instigating social, cultural, and policy change. News stories often sensationalize violence and fail to convey the problem’s complexity or to explore solutions rooted in communities that are most affected. In 2021, the Mass General Center for Gun Violence Prevention partnered with Emerson College’s Engagement Lab and Boston-based community-based organizations focused on violence prevention and survivor support to launch Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence. At the core of this initiative are semester-long studio courses in which Emerson students and faculty work with hospital-based partners and Boston community members whose lives have been impacted by gun violence to co-create media that 1) strengthens the capacity of community-based organizations working to disrupt cycles of violence; 2) influences how local media tells stories of gun violence; and 3) informs hospital practices to better support victims, survivors, and their families. Local success has made clear the potential to develop similar partnerships that connect media schools, hospitals, and community organizations in other cities. With potential collaborators identified across the country, an in-person workshop offers the opportunity to share our co-created work with one another; together, we will explore opportunities to expand Transforming Narratives of Gun Violence outside of Boston and how the work of narrative change being done in other cities might inform this initiative.

Workshop Organizers

Chana Sacks, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Co-Director, MGH Gun Violence Prevention Center

Rachele Gardner, Associate Director, Engagement Lab at Emerson College

Eric Gordon, Professor, Emerson College, Director, Engagement Lab at Emerson College

Peter Masiakos, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School, Co-Director, MGH Gun Violence Prevention Center