Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Reaffirms Support for Community Violence Intervention Programs at Metropolitan Peace Academy Graduation

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle Reaffirms Support for Community Violence Intervention Programs at Metropolitan Peace Academy Graduation

CHICAGO – On Thursday, Dec. 18, Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI) and Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) celebrated the newest round of Chicago Community Violence Intervention (CVI) graduates from the Metropolitan Peace Academy (MPA). The 58 graduates included street outreach workers, case managers, and victim services professionals.

The MPA is the Metropolitan Peace Initiatives’ premier multi-disciplinary training program, designed to streamline and strengthen the field of CVI. The Academy provides intensive and robust gun violence prevention training for street outreach workers, case managers, victim advocates, and trauma recovery specialists, in addition to community trainings for Chicago residents and police officers.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle served as the evening’s keynote speaker, highlighting Cook County’s support for CVI initiatives and how it has transformed public safety.

"In our region, we have made great strides in reducing crime and violence, and the local community safety ecosystem is stronger and more united than ever before," said Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. "We are proud of this progress but remain focused on the work ahead. Cook County will continue to invest in evidence-backed violence prevention strategies like CVI that are saving lives and strengthening communities."

“As members of the CVI ecosystem, we regularly see the positive impact that violence intervention has on the neighborhoods we serve,” said Vaughn Bryant, Executive Director of Metropolitan Peace Initiatives. “For the first time in 20 years, the City of Chicago has experienced four years in a row of declining gun violence. That isn’t an accident or fluke, it is the result of the combined efforts of local and state governments, community stakeholders, law enforcement, business, public health advocates and community violence intervention experts collaborating to reach those most at risk of shooting someone or being shot themselves.”

This graduation brings the total number of MPA alumni to 681 since its inception in January of 2018.

Metropolitan Peace Initiatives (MPI), a division of Metropolitan Family Services, convenes Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), a coalition of 15 community-based organizations focused on reducing gun violence in 28 of Chicago’s highest-risk neighborhoods.

The mission of the MPA is to professionalize the field of Community Violence Intervention (CVI), build a citywide network, and enhance community capacity to reduce violence.

Convened by Metropolitan Peace Initiatives, Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) provides Community Violence Intervention (CVI), a comprehensive, long-term approach to reducing gun violence in communities at highest risk.

For more information, visit www.MetropolitanPeaceInitiatives.org.

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