The AAA-ICDR Foundation Board awarded $50,000 Rapid Response Grants to 901 Bloc Squad in Memphis Tennessee and Metropolitan Family Services in Chicago Illinois.  The mission of 901 Bloc Squad is to decrease youth gun violence in the City of Memphis by engaging, empowering, and bridging the gap of at-risk youth and their families.  They meet this mission by utilizing conflict resolution skills to prevent retaliatory violence, holding monthly youth round tables, providing mentoring, convening mediations to address conflict, conducting community organized facilitated dialogue and conflict resolution workshops, among other community engagement services. 

Metropolitan Family Services’ mission is to provide and mobilize services to strengthen families and communities.  They meet this mission by collaborating with hyper-local community based organizations, Outreach Workers and Peacekeepers to engage with the community to provide conflict resolution support.  Including, mediation both between individuals and groups, establishing non-aggression agreements between rival groups so they will not initiate conflict and deploy conflict response and prevention units to respond to crises to provide de-escalation support to mitigate violence and victimization of Chicago youth.