CP4P Leaders Enroll in Chicago Crime Lab’s New Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy

Five Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) leaders make up a part of the inaugural cohort of the Chicago Crime Lab‘s new Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA), a six-month education program aimed at training the next generation of CVI leaders.

Among the leaders representing CP4P are Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Assistant Director of Crisis Prevention & Response Unit Rodney Philips (Metropolitan Peace Academy Cohort 1), Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC) Director of CVI Samuel Castro (MPA Cohort 1), former YMCA of Metro Chicago Executive Director Jaunita Pye (MPA Cohort 2), Chicago CRED Strategic Initiatives Manager Jason Little (MPA Cohort 6), and UCAN Vice President of Violence Intervention and Prevention Services Edwin Galletti. In total, the CVILA is hosting 31 participants from 21 cities across the U.S.

“These CVI leaders live and work in the communities they serve, and they are often in the best position to disrupt cycles of violence,” said Dr. Chico Tillmon, Director of CVILA. “By investing in their skills, the CVILA will help communities across the country become safer and more resilient.”

The CVILA curriculum is taught by practitioners and scholars, including the Metropolitan Peace Academy’s own Chief Training Officer Dr. Vanessa DeReef. The curriculum focuses on providing training in violence reduction, program management, staff retention, data literacy, evaluation, and more.

The Crime Lab’s CVILA program is a part of their Community Safety Leadership Academies (CSLA). For more information, visit the CSLA official page.