General

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.

With May being recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, and specifically, May 15 being observed as National Trauma Survivors Day, there was no better time for leading voices in the community violence intervention (CVI) and restorative justice spaces to speak on the effects of trauma and the strength in healing.

It was all about the mamas as Claretian Associates hosted a “Mothers Appreciation Paint and Chat” on Thursday, May 9, 2024 at the South Chicago SALUD Center. The event was part of Communities Partnering 4 Peace’s (CP4P) Light in the Night initiative, a program aimed at reclaiming public spaces to empower communities.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) leadership conducted a series of community violence intervention (CVI) training courses at the 2024 Professionalizing Law Enforcement-Community Engagement Training (PLECET) National Conference on May 2 and 3, 2024 in Atlanta. These interactive sessions brought in a host of law enforcement personnel, community leaders, researchers, and scholars from across the nation, all interested in learning more about CVI and how it can play an integral part in the public safety ecosystem.

The past and the present collided in a conversation on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, its lasting effects, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy as the Family Action Network hosted a panel discussion at Evanston Township High School on Monday, April 29, 2024. Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Executive Director Vaughn Bryant reflected on how Dr. King’s vision continues to inform his organization’s efforts in combating gun violence across Chicago.

The neighborhood of Midway recently celebrated the grand opening of a new Pan de Vida, which translates to “Bread of Life”, location at New Life Centers. This marked a collaborative effort with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to provide food to thousands within the community. Born from a mother and daughter team in 2010, Pan de Vida, an open food pantry service, had the goal to feed those in need. With this expansion, Pan de Vida now proudly serves in four locations across the city, extending its reach from Humboldt Park to Little Village, Albany Park, and now Midway.