As 2025 comes to a close, Chicago is on pace to record its lowest number of homicides in the past 10 years, ABC7 reports.

As Chicago closes out the year with historic declines in gun violence, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives celebrated its newest class of Community Violence Intervention workers to graduate from the Metropolitan Peace Academy.

Chicago is set to close out the year with historic declines in violent crime, as detailed in a new report from Crain’s Chicago Business. City leaders, law enforcement officials, and Community Violence Intervention experts acknowledge that their combined efforts have helped make 2025 one of the city’s safest years in decades.

Congratulations are in order for Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Field Manager NyEdra Turner and MPI Training Specialist Tashee Poplous who recently received their bachelor’s degrees from Northeastern Illinois University through its University Without Walls program.

New Life Centers CEO Matt DeMateo was recently honored with the 2025 Inspire Change Changemaker Award from the Chicago Bears for his impactful social justice work in Chicago.

The two-day event focused on capacity building, wellness, and the professionalization of Community Violence Intervention, as the field continues to evolve and take shape in cities across the country.

The momentum to end gun violence in the state of Illinois continues to build, but the pace must be sustained by effective collaboration across public and private sectors.

Get in the holiday spirit with toy drives hosted by Communities Partnering 4 Peace organizations, all December long! These events are free, family-friendly, and open to the public.

Please join Metropolitan Peace Academy and Communities Partnering 4 Peace in celebrating the graduation of our recent cohorts of street outreach workers, case managers and victim advocates on Thursday, December 18, 2025 at the South Shore Cultural Center.

A group of more than 30 business, civic, faith, and nonprofit leaders from across Chicago recently came together to denounce the federal immigration operation that has played out in recent months across the city and surrounding suburbs.

The holiday season is upon us, with several Communities Partnering 4 Peace organizations celebrating with events throughout the month of November. At a time when some individuals and families might be experiencing hardships, these organizations are stepping up to do their part in serving the community.

As the field of CVI continues to grow and evolve, so do the needs and services of those it aims to help heal. Recently, MPI Chief Program Officer Domonique McCord presented at the GASC CVI Community of Practice Convening, detailing the implementation of the Violence Prevention – Community Support Team, or VP-CST. 

In the wake of the Trump administration’s decision to cancel public safety grants, several Community Violence Intervention leaders from across Chicago and the state testified before the Illinois General Assembly, calling for sustained funding as they continue in the fight to reduce gun violence.

October marks an opportunity to reflect on the intersection between domestic and community violence and mobilize to end both.

Calling all peacebuilders and changemakers: The application window for the 2026 Peace Portraits is now open.

Representatives from Communities Partnering 4 Peace member organizations Public Equity and the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago showcased initiatives their nonprofits are leading to reduce gun violence in Chicago.

Thanks to a partnership with Ulta Beauty, women working across Communities Partnering 4 Peace were invited to set their responsibilities aside for a “Day of Beauty.”

Hundreds of job seekers were in attendance for an employment and resource fair hosted by Think Outside Da Block and Bright Community Services on Thursday, October 2, 2025 at the Ogden Park Fieldhouse in Englewood.

This training program is for current mid-level management Community Violence Intervention leaders who are seeking professional development in this rapidly growing field.

Community Violence Intervention (CVI) leaders, advocates, and public officials gathered at City Hall prior to the Chicago City Council’s meeting on Thursday, September 25, 2025, in a call for a $50 million allocation for CVI programming in the upcoming FY26 city budget. 

Women in Community Violence Intervention are crucial to its success in making Chicago a safer city.

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, staff from Metropolitan Family Services and Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, along with Communities Partnering 4 Peace partners, marched in the annual Mexican Independence Day Parade held in Little Village.

On Friday, September 12, 2025, Communities Partnering 4 Peace organizations met with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and State Senator Celina Villanueva in Little Village to discuss the progress of Community Violence Intervention efforts in their area.

Think Outside Da Block recently hosted three back-to-back community bike rides, each focusing on a different aspect of community and career building.

The fourth cohort of the Chicago Crime Lab’s Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy is set to graduate this November in Atlanta and will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to the field.

Several elected officials and Community Violence Intervention advocates from across Illinois are putting up a united front as they respond to President Trump’s recent threats to send the National Guard to Chicago.

Everytown Associate Director of Programming and Administration Jaunita Pye and Public Equity Executive Director Tony Woods, both graduates of the Metropolitan Peace Academy, have been elected as representatives for the Chicago Crime Lab’s first-ever Community Violence Intervention Leadership Academy (CVILA) Alumni Committee.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives is outside! From marching in the historic 96th annual Bud Billiken Parade to attending an exclusive Chicago Bears training camp experience, our dedicated staff has been enjoying Summertime Chi to the fullest.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives and Communities Partnering 4 Peace gathered on Saturday, August 9, 2025 to march in the historic 96th annual Bud Billiken Parade on the South Side of Chicago.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives is expanding its set of wraparound services with the launch of its new Youth Interventions initiative, beginning with the first program: Back to Our Future 2.0.