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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…

Southwest Organizing Project Hosts ‘Hoop, Don’t Shoot’ Basketball Tournament in Gage Park Players laced up their gym shoes and enjoyed an evening of friendly competition as Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) hosted “Hoop, Don’t Shoot,” a basketball tournament in partnership with St. Rita Church and Chicago Cares. The event took place on Tuesday, January 30, 2024…

Graduate Reflection: Fantasia Smith Details Her Experience With the Metropolitan Peace Academy “The MPA has been great for me. It has taught me so much in wanting to have integrity in my life and work.” Outreach Cohort 15 graduate and Chicago CRED Life Coach Fantasia Smith recently reflected on her time at the Metropolitan Peace…

WATCH: Project H.O.O.D. Gains New Group of Community Violence Intervention Professionals Project H.O.O.D. celebrated the achievements of several team members as they graduated from the Metropolitan Peace Academy earlier this month. Victims Advocate Chantrel Lee and Outreach Worker Leonard Salley detailed their experiences with the trainings and their plans to transform their neighborhood through community…

Scenes From the 2024 Winter Graduation of the Metropolitan Peace Academy The Metropolitan Peace Academy honored four graduating cohorts on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at South Shore Cultural Center. Eighty-five graduates received certificates and awards for completing trainings focused on case management, victim services, and street outreach. Check out the photos from the evening’s festivities…

Metropolitan Peace Academy Celebrates Graduates of Street Outreach, Case Management and Victim Advocacy Training Programs to Stop Gun Violence There was much to celebrate as the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives’ (MPI), Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) honored four graduating cohort classes on Thursday, January 18, 2024 at South Shore Cultural Center. Eighty-five graduates received certificates and awards…

How CP4P Justice Corps of the Legal Aid Society Helped This Violence Interrupter Clean Up His Criminal Background The Communities Partnering for Peace (CP4P) Justice Corps of the Legal Aid Society (LAS) supports the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives by providing civil legal services in Chicago neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence. These free and community-based services…

UCAN Provides Healing With Special MLK Day Programming UCAN celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a special program hosted at their North Lawndale headquarters on Monday, January 15, 2024. The event aimed to address present-day injustices such as disinvestment in high-risk neighborhoods and the lack of resources that lead…

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Celebrates the Grand Opening of the Metropolitan Peace Academy Training & Wellness Center in Pilsen The Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) celebrated the grand opening of the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) Training & Wellness Center with a special ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, January 12, 2024 in Pilsen. The new site, located at…