This is a Case Study prepared by Scott Hesel.
When Robert Darrisaw, Program Director of the Metro Council for Teen Potential (MCTP) at Baden Street Settlement, first heard Gandhi Institute Executive Director Erin Thompson speak on implicit bias during a panel discussion, he immediately recognized a connection. MCTP is a coalition of 35 member agencies, schools, and health centers that promotes youth development and health across Rochester’s most stressed neighborhoods. With a mission rooted in collaboration and positive youth engagement, Darrisaw saw how the Gandhi Institute’s approach to nonviolence and conflict resolution could strengthen his own team’s ability to serve young people.
For more than 20 years, Baden Street has hosted MCTP, which works with partners across the city — including the Rochester City School District, URMC, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Youth — to implement evidence-based health programs, life skills and arts initiatives, youth leadership activities, and parent communication workshops. These collective efforts have contributed to a 62% decline in Rochester’s teen birth rates between 2010 and 2022, and continue to equip young people with the tools to make healthy choices and build strong futures.
“Like any team, we sometimes faced challenges when difficult conversations arose,” Darrisaw recalls. “We wanted and needed tools to help us engage with one another directly and respectfully, and to build a culture where collaboration comes first.”
The Gandhi Institute was invited to facilitate three unique sessions for MCTP and the entire Baden Agency, focusing on personal well-being and practical skills for managing conflict. These sessions introduced staff to de-escalation, restorative practices, and strategies for engaging with conflict productively rather than avoiding it or letting tensions escalate.
“The workshop helped myself, my staff members, agency (Baden Street) and other agencies in attendance to take a step back and approach disagreements with more openness,” Darrisaw says. “It gave us the support and guidelines to express ourselves clearly and to listen in a way that makes others feel heard.”
That collective growth has spread through the organization. Staff now report a stronger sense of teamwork and a greater ability to model the very skills they encourage youth to adopt: healthy communication, respect for others, and constructive conflict resolution.
By partnering with the Gandhi Institute, Baden Street and MCTP have strengthened their foundation for impact. “We’re in the business of helping young people make positive choices,” Darrisaw notes. “Having a staff culture rooted in nonviolence and mutual respect makes us better at our work — and it shows the next generation what’s possible.”
You can also request a workshop that meet your team’s needs!
