Trailblazer Planning Grant sparks community conversations on youth violence and resilience
A Trailblazer Planning Grant from the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) is helping drive important conversations about youth violence, mental health, and community resilience in Indianapolis.
Indiana University School of Social Work Associate Professor Virgil Gregory, PhD, MSCR, MSW, LCSW, LCAC, was awarded the grant in 2023 through the Community Health Partnerships program in order to launch a community-engaged research project titled “Traumatic Youth Violence: The Synergistic Roles of the Church and Community in Fostering Resilience.” Gregory partnered with Pastor Donald Edwards and Church of Glory, as well as the Edna Martin Christian Center. Located in an area disproportionately affected by violent crime, Church of Glory has spent years working to support residents through youth mental health initiatives, violence prevention efforts, and community healing programs.
According to Gregory, the goal of the proposal was to qualitatively determine the impact of traumatic youth violence on individuals and neighborhoods through a series of semi-structured interviews with community members and church leaders. They also sought to explore the role of faith-based organizations in fostering resilience and recovery.
The work has since gained visibility well beyond the research setting.
The Indiana CTSI-funded research informed Gregory’s participation in Church of Glory’s annual March Gladness event, which focuses on youth violence prevention and mental health awareness. During the event, Gregory shared preliminary findings from the qualitative study and discussed the importance of understanding violence as both a public health and community issue. His remarks were featured in a Fox59 news segment on youth violence that aired on March 15, 2026.
Then, on April 7, 2026, Gregory presented findings and related research from the project to the Indianapolis City-County Council’s Education Committee. Accompanied by fellow researcher Joseph Tucker Edmonds, MS, PhD, and community youth leader Brandon Randall, MS, Gregory discussed youth violence through a mental health lens, highlighting the importance of early intervention, prevention, and community-based support systems. The team’s presentation emphasized the benefit of preventive psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, family interventions, and community initiatives as evidence-based approaches to reducing violence.
For the Indiana CTSI, the project represents exactly what the Trailblazer Planning Grant program was created to acocmplish.
“Dr. Gregory’s work epitomizes the goal of the Trailblazer Planning Grant, which is to build partnerships that bring university and community together to solve the problems impacting people in Indiana,” said Sarah Glock, MPH, CCRP, PMP, Program Management Specialist of Community Health Partnerships.
The Trailblazer Planning Grant program is currently accepting applications for proposals. The goal of the Trailblazer Planning Grant award is not to provide funding for pilot projects, but rather to build a foundation on which a future research proposal could be built, such as the Trailblazer Award.
Letters of Intent are due by September 17, 2026, with a full submission deadline of October 1, 2026. To learn more, visit the Trailblazer & Trailblazer Planning Awards webpage, or view the RFA.
