Penn Program Trains Youth in Anti-Violence Advocacy
The Creators for Community Safety Institute uses social media to engage Philadelphia youth in reducing gun violence.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Civic Engagement
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The Creators for Community Safety Institute, launched by Penn professor Desmond Patton with Elinore Kaufman and activist Ant Brown, ran its first summer institute this summer, welcoming a cohort of 15 youth over eight weeks. The program brings Penn researchers and local content creators together to support anti-violence advocacy.
Why it matters
The effort pairs academic research on gun violence and social media with community-based creators to reach young people in Philadelphia directly. A two-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant is funding the institute's continued work.
The first summer institute enrolled 15 youth in an eight-week program funded by a two-year Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant. Results on violence outcomes have not been reported.
The players
Desmond Patton
Patton is a Penn Integrates Knowledge professor and researcher who studies the intersection of gun violence, social media and artificial intelligence.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC is the federal public health agency that awarded the institute a two-year grant to support its work.
Ant Brown
Brown is a public safety activist who co-launched the program and will lead a team of Philadelphia creators delivering workshops this fall.
Elinore Kaufman
Kaufman is a professor of surgery at Penn who co-launched the institute and worked with Patton on the research.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is a health care organization that provided a supporting grant to Patton's research.
The details
Patton, a Penn Integrates Knowledge professor who has studied gun violence, social media and artificial intelligence since 2012, worked with Kaufman, a professor of surgery, after joining Penn in 2022. The summer institute introduced participants to social determinants of health through the CUREiculum, a series of developmental workshops, and the program is preparing CUREiculum workshops at three pilot sites across Philadelphia this fall, led by Brown and a team of local creators.
Timeline
2012: Patton begins studying gun violence, social media and artificial intelligence.
2022: Patton joins Penn and partners with Kaufman.
This summer (2026): The first summer institute enrolls 15 youth.
Last year (2025): Penn Medicine, SAFELab and Always Be Real Original host the second annual convention.
This fall (2026): CUREiculum workshops launch at three pilot sites in Philadelphia.
Civic Engagement Context
The institute extends Penn's Integrates Knowledge model by moving academic research on gun violence into direct work with Philadelphia youth. Its stated aim is to serve as a model for other major cities that want closer collaboration between universities and residents.
Philadelphia youth interested in the program's workshops can follow the CUREiculum rollout at the three pilot sites this fall. Residents can also watch for further cohorts, since the institute is pursuing additional funding to run another group.
The takeaway
Combining academic research with trusted community creators offers one model for reaching young people where they already spend time. Whether the approach reduces violence will depend on outcomes the program has yet to report.
What happens next
CUREiculum workshops are scheduled to launch at three pilot sites across Philadelphia this fall.
Further reading
For related local efforts, see Civic Engagement coverage for Philadelphia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Former Penn President Liz Magill earned $4.46 million the year following her resignation - The Daily Pennsylvanian.
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Should young people use social media to push back against local violence?
