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DOJ Visits Metropolitan Peace Academy, Looks to Future of Community Violence Intervention Work The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) made an early morning site visit to the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) Training & Wellness Center in Pilsen on Friday, March 15, 2024. The purpose of the meeting and subsequent tour was to give an…

‘Movie at the Park’ Brings Film Favorites to Back of the Yards Neighborhood Disney’s Big Hero 6 was the feature film of the evening at the latest installment of Movie at the Park, an event series hosted by the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC) in partnership with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC)….

Target Area Development Hosts Black History Family Feud Night History enthusiasts and game show aficionados dusted off their memorized facts to participate in a Family Feud night hosted by Target Area Development at Lindblom Park. This event was part of Light in the Night, a Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) program aimed at reclaiming public…

Chicago Gun Violence Survivors Pen Their Own Stories For Personal Essay Series The Chicago Sun-Times and The Trace pulled back the curtain on their joint publication of “Chicago Stories of Survival,” an essay series detailing the personal experiences of gun violence across the city. The outlets hosted a pair of panel discussions at The Impact…

UCAN Celebrates Black History Month With HBCU-Themed Programming The celebration of Black History Month was in full swing as UCAN helped host “The HBCU Experience,” a program in partnership with Family Focus and the Chicago Park District. The event took place on Thursday, February 22, 2024 at the Homan Square Community Center in North Lawndale…

WATCH: CVI Leadership Academy Graduates Reflect on History-Making Experience “I like to be a part of something that’s groundbreaking and history-making.” On Friday, February 9, 2024, 31 community violence intervention (CVI) leaders from 21 cities across the country graduated from the inaugural cohort of the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy….

Chicago Crime Lab’s CVILA Inaugural Cohort Graduates at White House, VP Harris Gives Praise The University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) made its mark from city streets to the White House with the graduation of its inaugural cohort on Friday, February 9, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Thirty-one community violence intervention…

MPI’s Rodney Phillips Profiled in Chicago Sun-Times Ahead of CVI Leadership Academy Graduation Congratulations are in order for Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Associate Director of Crisis Prevention & Response Unit (CPRU) Rodney “Hot Rod” Phillips who was recently profiled in the Chicago Sun-Times ahead of his graduation from the inaugural cohort of the Chicago Crime…

Sip, Paint & Connect: Target Area Development Hosts Creative Night at Lindblom Park Artists of all levels picked up their brushes, donned aprons, and immersed themselves in creativity during a family-friendly “Paint & Sip” hosted by Target Area Development at Lindblom Park. The event was part of Light in the Night, a Communities Partnering 4…

Community Violence Intervention Groups Announce Scaling Efforts to Reduce Gun Violence in Chicago Community violence intervention (CVI) groups gathered with philanthropic, business, and government leaders at an annual convening on Thursday, February 1, 2024, to announce plans to expand CVI programs in Chicago to help reduce gun violence. The midday gathering took place at the…