Leaders of the community gathered Monday afternoon to address the opportunity gaps that are faced by young African American men in our community.

Not only were professors and teachers on hand for conversations, but also the South Bend Mayor and members of law enforcement for the panel discussion led by the local chapter of My Brother's Keeper initiative.

Their goal is to make sure children and young men are prepared to succeed in school and that they have the skills to respond to conflicts in ways that reduce violence. 

Mayor Pete Buttigieg says it’s about taking the right steps in solving the problem through conversation and education.

"Well I think this is where it begins. There are a lot of different forms of communications these days. Social media, there's high tech, there's mass media, then there's good old fashioned conversation. What we have today is a number of people of good will who share this community, coming together to communicate about what the needs are and what approaches we've been trying and what we can do better,” said Mayor Buttigieg.

"The initiative that the community is focusing on are youth, violence, and education; How we can educate our youth, keep them on a steady path towards excellence and educate the community on what we're doing to prevent violence in our community,” said President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., William Diggins.

The turnout was successful to start the conversation.

Two of the panel members were from the South Bend Police Department.

When asked how they can make a difference, they answered simply, doing a better job of getting to know the people they serve.