General

Runners, walkers, and community violence intervention (CVI) supporters of all ages joined in on Strides for Peace’s 2024 Race Against Gun Violence on Thursday, June 6, 2024, in Grant Park. The annual event celebrates the life-changing work of community organizations and provides a platform for people who care about ending gun violence.

It was a momentous occasion as three leaders representing the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC) graduated from College Unbound with their bachelor’s degrees on Sunday, June 9, 2024 at the Metropolitan Peace Academy in Pilsen.

June is recognized as National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time to honor gun violence survivors and advocate to put an end to gun violence.

On Monday, June 17, 2024, community violence intervention (CVI) organizations, philanthropic, business, and government leaders will convene to provide updates on our plan entitled “Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago” or “SC2.”

Join us on Friday, June 7, 2024 as we come together for Wear Orange, an annual campaign during Gun Violence Awareness Month. This action is in remembrance of Chicagoan Hadiya Pendleton, a 15-year-old girl who was shot and killed in 2017 while in the park with classmates.

Vaughn Bryant is Executive Director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), a division of Metropolitan Family Services, which features a team of professionals working in partnership with community-based and citywide organizations to coordinate, support and sustain comprehensive services designed to heal communities that have experienced the highest levels of gun violence.

Southland RISE: Strengthening Violence Recovery Through Hospital and Street Outreach Collaboration Southland RISE, a joint initiative by UChicago Medicine and Advocate Christ Medical Center, aims to improve treatment and support for crime survivors and their families by forging stronger connections between hospitals and street outreach organizations. Partnering with Metropolitan Family Services (MFS), Metropolitan Peace Initiatives…

The newest cohort of students enrolled in the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) sat excited and inquisitive as they learned key tactics to building high-impact teams within their organizations. The session, led by Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Chief Training Officer Dr. Vanessa Perry DeReef, served as the group’s first class together in the program.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) will be the recipient of a grant renewal from the NFL, furthering the organization’s mission to help reduce gun violence across Chicago.

The University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy and Practice recently awarded Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) with the 2024 Distinctive Innovation and Social Service Award. This accolade is given annually to deserving social service agencies and programs that demonstrate innovation in their approaches and practices while reflecting the mission of the school.