NECR Webinar: Project Restore: Pathways to Peace and Community Safety

During our October webinar, the NECR program is joined by Wesley Jeffreys and Titus Smith, graduates of the Project Restore pilot in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and Gabriel Feldman, the Assistant Program Manager & Research Staff Assistant at Columbia University's Center For Justice  and current student in the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program. 

Project Restore is a community-led violence intervention that engages young men from rival street crews, combining holistic support with structured cross-crew engagement to shift life trajectories, foster peaceful coexistence, and reduce violence. The pilot program led to significant reductions in shootings and supported profound individual transformations among its participants.

From rival street crews, Jeffreys and Smith are now community leaders, facilitators with the Center for Justice at Columbia University, and college students at Kingsborough Community College working side by side. They are also founding members of Public Safety Working Group—a coalition of Project Restore participants from rival crews who now work together to sustain peace locally and contribute to citywide strategies to reduce gang and gun violence.

In conversation with Dr. Beth-Fisher Yoshida, Jeffreys and Smith will reflect on their personal journeys, the role of Project Restore, and their ongoing efforts to advance peace and safety in Bedford-Stuyvesant and beyond.

Speakers:

Wesley Jeffreys, Project Restore Graduate; Community Justice Advocate; Transformational Coach, We Build the Block; Facilitator, Center for Justice at Columbia University; Student in Business & Psychology, Kingsborough Community College

Titus Smith, Project Restore Graduate; Community Justice Advocate; Facilitator and Mentor, Center for Justice at Columbia University; Student in Mental Health and Human Services, Kingsborough Community College

Gabriel Feldman, Assistant Program Manager & Research Staff Assistant at The Center For Justice.

Moderator:

Dr. Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Professor of Practice, M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

This event will be held online. Registered guests will receive a Zoom link prior to the event.

For questions about this event, please contact Kjerstin Pugh, kep2137 [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (kep2137[at]columbia[dot]edu).

To obtain additional information about program offerings at Columbia University’s School of Professional Studies, please contact an Admissions Counselor at inquire [[at]] sps [[dot]] columbia [[dot]] edu (inquire[at]sps[dot]columbia[dot]edu).

If you require closed captioning, sign-language interpretation or any other disability accommodations, please contact Disability Services, disability [[at]] columbia [[dot]] edu (disability[at]columbia[dot]edu), at least 10 days in advance.

This event is open to individuals irrespective of identity and sex.