The Streets, Beatz & Peace Podcast is back with a special edition episode focusing on the recent rise of “teen trends,” and how Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations collaborate with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) to make our streets safer this summer.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) and Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) came together in strong support of the 13th annual Strides for Peace Race Against Gun Violence in downtown Chicago.

Meet Peace Portraits honoree Tavares Harrington, Outreach Supervisor for the Austin neighborhood at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago (INVC).

A recent collaboration with the Lake County Peacemakers has been underway at the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA), bringing county violence interrupters to the Pilsen training facility to share with and learn from Chicago’s Community Violence Intervention (CVI) network.

The Illinois Peace Project (IPP) celebrated the second year of the Peace Portraits digital storytelling series with a screening and cocktail reception on May 28, 2026 at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

June is recognized as Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time to honor gun violence survivors and advocate to put an end to gun violence.

Leaders from Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) recently partnered with community-led collective “We Are Our Own Medicine” to host a Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Activation Training, bringing together community members from various organizations to learn about engaging local CVI groups and building relationships.

Meet “Peace Portraits” honoree Luis Bahena, Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago (SC2) Outreach Supervisor at New Life Centers.

A recent in-depth piece from The Chicago Reporter featured Community Violence Intervention (CVI) leaders from Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), who shared some of the complexities of the Peacekeepers Program.

City leaders, community organizations, and violence prevention advocates recently gathered for a press conference around a shared message: community safety is built through investment, relationships, and community violence intervention.

Community Violence Intervention (CVI) advocates and professionals from across Chicago made their way down to Springfield, Illinois to amplify a simple but strong message: CVI saves lives and deserves sustained funding.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) honors Mental Health Awareness Month in May, a time to educate and bring awareness to the conditions that affect those in our everyday lives.

On Tuesday, April 28, staff at Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) held an informative discussion centered on the realities and opportunities individuals face after coming home from prison.

“Credible Messengers” passes the mic to the people leading Community Violence Intervention (CVI) work in Chicago. From insights on how they got into the work to the future they envision for our city, they share their lived experiences and how they’re fostering change in their communities.

The third annual We Are Our Own Medicine Conference brought together leaders across the Community Violence Intervention (CVI), faith, and public health spaces at New Life Covenant in Humboldt Park.

Illinois Peace Project is proud to announce the honorees for its 2026 Peace Portraits series, a visual project dedicated to spotlighting the extraordinary individuals working everyday to build safer, stronger, and more peaceful communities.

It was a packed house at the North Lawndale Collaborative’s (NLC) quarterly community meeting, as residents, Community Violence Intervention (CVI) professionals, and elected officials gathered to hear insights on the work being done on the ground to combat violence in the area.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) recently launched the second cohort of its Management and Supervision Fellowship, welcoming a new group of leaders committed to strengthening the Community Violence Intervention (CVI) field.

Women are a vital yet underrepresented part of CVI, serving in a variety of roles across the field in research, policy, behavioral health, and boots-on-the-ground roles.

Karen Mata, who works as a Street Outreach Mentor at New Life Centers, has a long history of providing safe havens for her community.

Diana Hincapie, Case Manager at Enlace Chicago in Little Village, says her work in the community has healed her relationship with herself, her family, and her city.

Tashee Poplous is part of a team of experts who prepare hundreds of professionals every year in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) practices and standards.

Sharonda Giles, Director of the Crisis Prevention and Response Unit (CPRU) at Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), doesn’t just manage and operate a unique crisis intervention initiative; Giles is in the field herself, doing the work of monitoring large crowds and responding to critical incidents in real time.

Gina Ramirez, former Street Outreach Case Manager at New Life Centers, is intimately familiar with playing an essential role in her home communities of Brighton Park and Bridgeport.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), alongside other Community Violence Intervention (CVI) organizations, public officials, and advocates, convened to provide Chicago with a public safety update and mark the city’s historic decline in gun violence last year.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) Chief Program Officer Domonique McCord was among many leaders at a public hearing convened by the Illinois Accountability Commission, testifying on the impact of Operation Midway Blitz.

On a quiet February evening in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, a couple dozen people gather, not for a workshop or a neighborhood meeting, but for something far more personal: laser removal of gang-related tattoos.

Leaders from Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) organizations were among the new cohort for Latino Policy Forum’s 2026 class of the Multicultural Leadership Academy (MLA).

The City of Chicago recently launched its first-ever women’s Community Re-entry Support Center (CRSC) in partnership with the Women’s Justice Institute, in addition to awarding five community organizations serving residents returning from incarceration.

At Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, we like to say, “Those who do the work, lead the work.” 2025 was no exception as we continued our mission to end gun violence in Chicago.