Recent News
Stay informed with the latest news, announcements, event info and more.
MPI Clinical Program Supervisor Traci Hall: ‘Community Violence Intervention Work Is Not to Be Taken Lightly’
Behavioral health and social services are far from soft jobs, though they do require a great deal of compassion and care. But women in community violence intervention constantly defy the definitions of “women’s work.” In fact, this work requires toughness, street smarts, realness, and resilience.
LISTEN: New ‘Healthy Chicago’ Podcast Episode Features MPI Director of Field Instruction Steve Perkins
Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Director of Field Instruction Steve Perkins joins Elvis Ortega from the Mayor’s Office of Community Safety on the most recent episode of the Chicago Department of Public Health’s Healthy Chicago podcast.
WATCH: MPI Field Manager Andre Lawrence Discusses How ‘Relentless Engagement’ Can Build Bridges to Peace
Friends of Children Chicago hosted a virtual panel on Tuesday, March 18, where panelists explored how outreach and engagement can help support individuals impacted by disinvestment and systemic racism
North Lawndale Collaborative Hosts Safer Community Meeting at UCAN Chicago
The North Lawndale Collaborative (NLC) hosted a Safer Community Meeting on Monday, March 17, 2025, at UCAN Chicago’s headquarters, where residents and leaders in the field of community violence intervention (CVI) came together to create strategies for improving community safety.
Cynthia Leal, Victim Advocate at New Life Centers: Women ‘Need to Be Supported’
Community violence intervention (CVI) programs have the power to save and change lives for participants, and sometimes, those participants become empowered enough to turn around and provide that same advocacy for others. This much is true for Cynthia Leal, Victim Advocate for New Life Centers in Chicago’s Little Village.
WATCH: The History of ‘The BOOM’ at the Metropolitan Peace Academy
Ever wonder how the Metropolitan Peace Academy‘s “1, 2, 3, BOOM!” rallying cry came to be? Let Dr. Vanessa Perry DeReef, Chief Training Officer at Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, give you a history lesson.
MPI Director of Training Tina Cooper: Women Are the ‘Backbone’ of CVI
CVI is sustained not only by the outreach professionals who interrupt and respond to violence, but also by those who train, educate, and support them.
MPI Field Manager Nyedra Turner Says Women Are Vital to Community Violence Intervention
As a woman with nearly ten years of outreach experience, Nyedra Turner has a special vantage point into the value and needs of women in the field. She sees women as vital to community violence intervention.
New CORNERS Report Highlights Impact of Illinois’ Peacekeeper Program
A new report from Northwestern University’s Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science (CORNERS) is highlighting the impact of Illinois’ Peacekeepers Program, which originally launched in Chicago in 2018.
Strengthening Voices, Building Power: CVI Organizations Host Advocacy Training Day
Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), Communities Partnering 4 Peace and Chicago CRED came together for an Advocacy Training Day on February 24, 2025. This training equipped frontline outreach workers with the tools to approach elected officials and advocate for sustainable funding for community violence intervention (CVI).
CP4P Leadership, Elected Officials Attend CVI Legislative Dinner to Push for Sustained Funding
Leadership representing Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) and Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) made the trip downstate to Springfield on Tuesday, February 18 for a special community violence intervention (CVI) legislative dinner with a group of elected officials. All had one singular goal in mind: to advocate for and preserve CP4P funding for fiscal year 2026.
Peacekeepers: WTTW Features Community Violence Interventionists in New Docuseries
Attendees gathered at WTTW Studios in Albany Park on Monday, February 17, for a screening and panel discussion with the subjects of the new docuseries FIRSTHAND: Peacekeepers, which spotlights the struggles and triumphs of five individuals engaged in community violence intervention (CVI) work across Chicago.
‘CVI Saves Lives’: MPI Executive Director Vaughn Bryant Pens Blog for Harvard Business School
In a recent blog post for Harvard Business School’s Social Enterprise Initiative, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Executive Director Vaughn Bryant reflected on his experience attending the Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) Executive Education program. He also detailed the lessons he’s bringing back to MPI to help further its mission of reducing gun violence across Chicago.
IL State Rep. Justin Slaughter and State Sen. Robert Peters: ‘Community Violence Intervention Saves Lives. Keep Funding It For Public Safety’s Sake.’
Illinois State Rep. Justin Slaughter of the 27th District and State Sen. Robert Peters of the 13th District recently co-authored an op-ed for the Chicago Sun-Times affirming the effectiveness of community violence intervention (CVI) legislation and illustrating the great need for continued investment.
WATCH: Metropolitan Peace Academy Management and Supervision Fellows Reflect on the Program
Designed for individuals already on the front lines of gun violence prevention, the inaugural Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA) Management and Supervision Fellowship program has provided fellows with the critical leadership and management skills needed to succeed in supervisory roles and the ability to create lasting change in their communities across Chicago.
Save the Date: Behavioral Health Job Fair
Behavioral health clinicians, interns, and staff: you’re invited to our Behavioral Health Job Fair on February 1, 2025 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.!
Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Hosts MLK Day Celebration: Embracing Humanity
On Saturday, January 11, 2025, the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago hosted their MLK Day Celebration, “Embracing Humanity,” an event honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of nonviolence and equity.
Metropolitan Peace Academy Graduates Reflect on Transformative Community Violence Intervention Training
For many of the newest cohort of community violence intervention specialists, their dedication to the work comes from a personal history.
WATCH: CP4P & MPI 2024 Year in Review
Watch as we review highlights and accomplishments from a year of community violence intervention with Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) and Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, from opening our state-of-the-art training center to celebrating the graduations of two new violence prevention cohorts, and more.
Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS) Headlines Northwestern Magazine with Data-Informed Solutions to Community Violence
Northwestern Magazine recently shared in-depth coverage of the impact of the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science (CORNERS) in addressing gun violence in the city of Chicago.