Mothers In Charge
Title: Violence Prevention and Community Care at Mothers In Charge
Student Interns:
Alyce Bradshaw
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Erica Fenton
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Academic Preceptor:
Dalmacio Dennis Flores, PhD, ACRN, FAAN
University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing
Johanna K.P. Greeson, PhD, MSS, MLSP
University of Pennsylvania, School of Social Policy & Practice
Community Preceptor:
Dorothy Johnson-Speight, EdD, MHS, LPC
Founder and National Executive Director
Mothers In Charge, Inc.
Community Site:
Mothers In Charge is a nonprofit violence prevention organization based in Philadelphia that serves individuals, families, and communities affected by gun violence. Founded in 2003 by Dr. Dorothy Johnson Speight, after the loss of her son to gun violence, the organization is committed to promoting healing and reducing violence through its Prevention, Intervention, and Education (P.I.E.) model. Mothers In Charge provides trauma-informed services such as grief support, anger management, reentry services, youth programming, and community outreach.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps interns contributed to weekly Grief Group and Anger Management, supporting the facilitators, observing the group, and learning from the clients’ sharing. The team also supported the Brave Hearts program, which offers students didactic sessions on trauma and storytelling through art-based creativity. The interns provided one-on-one attention to program participants, using a strengths-based approach to encourage students to develop their superhero narratives. In addition, the team helped Mothers In Charge staff plan a Youth Think Tank to leverage youth voices in the solutions to violence, bringing together small groups of teens from different Philly neighborhoods. Lastly, the team digitized resources available to clients so that staff can more effectively serve clients with a variety of needs.
Reflections
When I started at Mothers In Charge, I truly had no idea what to expect. I had never sat with a mother who had lost their child to murder, worked alongside individuals rebuilding their lives after incarceration, or worked with children processing trauma. Throughout the summer, I realized I did not need the perfect words. What truly mattered most was listening without judgment, being present, and allowing people to share their stories in their own way and on their own timeline. This experience changed the way I understand grief, trauma, and resilience, and it has made me a more compassionate person. As a future nurse, I am committed to treating the whole person rather than solely their condition, recognizing that every patient has a unique story that influences their health and healing. More importantly, these lessons extend beyond nursing. Mothers In Charge has changed the way I will show up for my family, friends, and community, and I know I will carry these experiences with me for the rest of my life.
Alyce Bradshaw
The BTG internship with Mothers In Charge offered insight in violence prevention and intervention, particularly the complex web of trauma, out of which street violence is often born. To stand as an organization that supports mothers who have lost a child, Mothers In Charge approaches the problem from multiple points of action, from ground-level work to policy-level advocacy. A major takeaway from my social work education has been the necessity to address issues from a micro- and a macro-level at the same time. Mothers In Charge is a wonderful example of this; it offers personalized services to individuals, while welcoming them into a community of women dedicated to violence prevention at a systems level. Throughout the internship, we interacted with different elements of this system: Trauma Victim Advocates at Temple Hospital, Officials at the county prison, mothers at various stages of grief, children who are processing trauma, and the women who do the work every day to save lives in our city.
Erica Fenton
Partners
