WGN News Spotlights Data Partnership With Firehouse Community Arts Center & North Park University

WGN: You actually know about your impact because there is scientific research to back it up.

CEO Phil Jackson: Yes, there is! We partner with North Park University, and they take our data—they take it and transcribe it so it’s legible and understood. We’ve seen since 2021 a 73.7% decrease in murders in the three areas we serve in North Lawndale, because of our work.

CHICAGO, IL—North Park University’s Center for Civic Engagement data analysis appeared in a rare spotlight moment on April 1, 2024 interview with WGN News Chicago.

The Center is a partner with the Firehouse Community Arts Center, a hub for youth violence prevention programs located in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. Built into a retired Chicago fire station, the nonprofit center is led by Pastor Phil Jackson, who operates as Founder & CEO.

“We partner with North Park University, and they take our data—they take it and transcribe it so it’s legible and understood. We’ve seen since 2021 a 73.7% decrease in murders in the three areas we serve in North Lawndale, because of our work,” Jackson said, responding to WGN questions about the measuring impact.

Dr. Amy Governale of NPU is Civic Engagement Faculty Lead for Research and Data analysis.

“Our work is designed to be behind the scenes,” Governale said. “We believe the leaders in communities who are on the ground solving the problem are the real experts. But we can leverage our knowledge to present data in useful ways for those who are doing the work.”

The Firehouse offers year-round, multi-disciplinary cultural arts programming, mentorship, leadership and workforce development centered around engaging at-risk youth and young adults from 11 to 30 years old. Program highlights include a full-blown kitchen, art programs, and a catering company, allowing young people to learn a trade and earn income.

The NPU data team does a comparative analysis every six months for Firehouse, with a goal of measuring effectiveness in violence prevention.

“We worked with them to figure out which data collection methods could be most effective. For instance, we considered community surveys, but there are problem with directly surveying gang members,” Governale said.

The team relies on publicly available safety data, including 911 calls and shot spotter data.

“Program Evaluation is a part of our mission to link the resources of North Park University to community organizations making a difference on the West and South Sides of Chicago,” said Rich Khong, who is the Assistant Vice President for Civic Engagement at NPU. “For many organizations, especially smaller faith-based neighborhood based orgs, measuring their impact can lead to greater investment from foundations that they otherwise couldn’t access.”

Some funding for the Community Asset Cohorts and Program Evaluation Consortium (CAPECON) initiative is provided via a grant from the Lily Endowment—a private foundation with a focuses in community development, education, youth and religion. North Park University, as a Christian university in the Chicago city limits, has special expertise working directly with faith-based organizations and church leaders, who have historically been leading agents of social change.

The Firehouse Community Arts Center provides year round arts and vocational programing with a mission to interrupt the cycle of violence in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago.

Media contact: civicengagement@northpark.edu or more media info here.