Large group of participants gathered on stage in front of blue SYNC wall, smiling together at a convening event

Strategies for Youth and Neighborhood Centered (SYNC) Safety

A national learning community of CBOs leading community safety efforts rooted in healing and public health

The SYNC Safety learning community brings together community-based organizations (CBOs) across the U.S. and national partners working along the continuum of violence prevention. Together, we strengthen partnerships among CBOs serving communities at greatest risk for violence and advance community-driven, public health approaches that promote safety and healing.

Running from October 2025 to July 2026, SYNC supports CBO partners to deepen their capacity to implement public health approaches to youth and community violence prevention while strengthening relationships, fostering healing, and advancing long-term community impact. Participants engage in shared learning, reflective dialogue, and coaching that uplifts lived experience, strengthens leadership, and supports implementation of community-driven strategies.

This phase emphasizes sharing promising practices and expanding access to tools and learning for communities at greatest risk for violence. Through collaboration with practitioners, researchers, and national partners, SYNC advances effective, community-centered approaches to reduce violence-related injuries and deaths. By aligning learning, practice, and knowledge-sharing, SYNC strengthens a national network advancing equitable health, safety, and wellbeing. 

Primary activities:

  • Learning community coordination and engagement, including recruitment of CBOs serving communities at greatest risk for violence and ongoing peer learning and exchange.

  • Delivery of capacity-building assistance through monthly learning labs, coaching, and technical support that strengthen implementation of public health and community-driven strategies.

  • Dissemination of resources, tools, and community-rooted practices to support awareness and uptake of effective violence prevention approaches.

  • Collection and sharing of stories and testimonies that elevate lived experience and highlight implementation in communities.

  • Evaluation and reflection processes that assess learning, document outcomes, and strengthen understanding of effective, community-centered approaches. 

Accomplishments

We never do this work alone. And we are grateful to our many partners for working with us to achieve these accomplishments.

Enhanced practitioner knowledge and skills nationwide through conferences and webinars.
Facilitated a learning community of community-based organizations engaging youth to prevent violence.
Established a learning community of Black- and brown-led community-based organizations taking a public health approach to preventing violence.

Funders

SYNC Year 1 (October 2023 to July 2024) was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. NU38OT000305 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The contents are those of Prevention Institute and its partners and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

SYNC Year 2 (October 2024 to July 2025) was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. NU38PW000033, awarded to Big Cities Health Coalition, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $1,000,000.00 with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
 

Partners

Strategy Partners:

  • Big Cities Health Coalition
  • Center for Law and Social Policy (SYNC 1.0)
  • Cities United
  • Community Justice
  • National Compadres Network
  • Dr. Shani Buggs, UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention
  • Dr. Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, UC Davis Centers for Violence Prevention
  • Dr. Kathryn Bocanegra, University of Illinois Chicago
  • Reggie Moore
  • We-Collab

Community/Local Partners:

  • A.G.I.L.E. Planning Solutions, Inc.
  • American Indians in Texas Spanish Colonial Mission
  • CommUnify
  • D.C. Clinical Research
  • Denver Healing Generations
  • Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation
  • Illinois Coalition for Community Services (SYNC 1.0)
  • I.ndigenous Am.ericas Legacy Center
  • Jail To Jobs
  • La Plazita Institute
  • Latino Center of the Midlands
  • New Hope For Youth
  • No More Red Dots Inc
  • Nuevo Comienzo/The Latino Commission
  • Operation Good Foundation
  • Peace During War
  • Punch4Pounds Inc
  • Resilient In Sustaining Empowerment
  • S.T.R.O.N.G. Youth, Inc.
  • Sisters & Supporters Working Against Gun Violence (S.W.A.G)
  • Sisters 4 Unity
  • The Forgotten Third, Inc.
  • The IVYY Project at Grady
  • The JK Movement
  • The Latino Network
  • The Uhuru Foundation
  • Urban Family
  • Urban Indigenous Collective
  • Violence Intervention and Prevention Fort Worth
  • Youth Shelter Program of Westchester

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