Heriberto Escamilla, PhD, expounds upon the transformational work of the National Compadres Network (NCN), which aims to advance equity and eliminate disparities that negatively impact communities of color. The organization uses a model based on La Cultura Cura — an indigenous-based philosophy that promotes the transformation of pain and trauma into compassion and interconnection. The grant from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Gun Violence Research and Education will support the Healing Community Violence Project, a collaborative effort led by NCN in partnership with the Hope and Heal Fund and the Urban Peace Institute. The project will pilot and evaluate the CVI Fellowship Program, which helps organizations around the country to better prepare and support community violence interventionists — many of whom are people of color, formerly gang-affiliated, and victims and/or perpetrators of gun violence — as they work to advance healing in their communities.
