If there's any positive news with regard to the tragic and gut-wrenching series of mass shootings that we've seen in recent decades, it is that our understanding of the factors behind them is growing better. Researchers such as Jillian Peterson and James Densley, co-founders of The Violence Project have done unprecedented and in-depth research on the myriad of factors that have led to mass shootings in the past 30+ years.
The factors leading to mass shootings are extraordinarily complex and nuanced, and they are intertwined with some of the most intrenched problems in our society. There are no simple solutions. However, there are many things that could (and should) be part of a multi-faceted strategy that would have a high probability of greatly reducing this horrific pattern of killing.
Peterson and Densley recently wrote a book, The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic. Some key points from that book were also summarized in a June 7 online article in Time Magazine. They also launched The Off Ramp Project as a hub of information, training, and resources for holistic violence prevention.
Mobilizing a nationwide strategy to stop mass shootings will take more than just a book filled with sensible (and research-backed) ideas and a website with solid information. It will require a social transformation. That's a big challenge--but one we should take on with all our hearts and minds.
For the past several years, I've been working to bring together the best thinking, theory, examples, and tools to equip and train motivated coalitions in ways to lead social transformation. These state-of-the-art practices can help bring the best ideas for ending gun violence together with the most promising strategies for addressing many of the underlying issues in ways that can overcome the many obstacles to bringing about a future where people thrive and stories of mass shootings will be in our history books, not the nightly news.
It won't surprise anyone reading this that several approaches to minimizing and addressing childhood trauma and toxic stress are major parts of the strategy that is emerging. In addition to the game-changing implications of brain science and our growing experience in how to help people heal from trauma, there is also a powerful emerging set of tools and techniques for leading social transformation. I'd like to invite everyone reading this to invest some of their time and/or treasure to accelerate the adoption of these tools.
Case Studies in Leading Social Transformation
In 2016, I was the lead consultant for some pioneering work to create a strategy for transforming foster care in Arkansas (going well beyond the narrow scope of the county-led child welfare programs). In early 2020, I began working with two coalitions in Canada that were focused on transforming the family justice system--especially in regard to divorce and family restructuring. While many people considered both of these to be a "fool's errand" founded in my naivety and unrealistic optimism, both have made remarkable progress in spite of many obstacles.
Fortunately, the results are showing that these cutting-edge techniques and tools can be successful. There are now thousands of children in Arkansas who are successfully living with their parents and experiencing far less trauma that would have been likely had then entered or stayed in the foster care system. This 2-part videos series (totaling about 13 minutes) shares insights into how that happened.
The work on transforming the family justice system is still fairly early in the journey, but the results so far have been inspiring. The techniques and tools used were featured in a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Change Management in May of 2021.
The power of these unconventional techniques and tools resulted in their being woven into a grant application by a team at the University of Calgary that is focusing on minimizing family violence and adversity. The team of over 150 collaborators received $2.4 million (Canadian $) to develop and implement a strategy to address this urgent social challenge in Canada.
The techniques for elevating practices of Collective Impact to become an approach to system change and social transformation are taught in a new eLearning course that I developed with several guest instructors, including Michael Quinn Patton and David Stroh.
You can access the first 8 videos of this eLearning course at no cost via this link.
Working Together to Accelerate Transformation to Stop Mass Shootings
The overall approach that is taking shape in the two Canadian projects mentioned above is something that is very appropriate to use in an all-out effort to stop mass shootings in the U.S. Many of the strategies that can reduce family violence in Canada are also ones that would reduce mass shootings (and many other wicked social problems) in the United States. By taking the overall model being used in the two Canadian transformation projects and bringing in the cutting-edge research-backed recommendations being advanced by Peterson, Densley and others, progress in addressing the epidemic of gun violence could be greatly accelerated.
If you are interested in learning more or interested in being a volunteer working on this topics as part of the ARRCC Action Network, and 8-month interactive "Learning by Doing" program that will be launching on June 23, please contact me by email at bill.barberg@insightformation.com or connect with me on LinkedIn and leave me a message.
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