Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

05/29/2026

Supporting frontline staff is essential in our mission to end the cycle of gun violence.

As the CVI field expands, commitment to worker wellbeing must remain a core principle. Integrating staff wellness into the broader CVI infrastructure will both support individual practitioners and ensure the long-term sustainability of a field increasingly necessary for our collective public safety.

​Our Staff Wellness Initiative offers one approach to prioritizing wellbeing and responding to support and infrastructure gaps in the CVI field. Read lessons from the Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research and Science’s (CORNERS) three-year process evaluation partnership with our Staff Wellness Initiative.

Read the full report: https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/healing

Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P

05/28/2026

What are Peace Portraits?☮️🎥
https://abc7chicago.com/post/chicago-illinois-peace-project-presents-portraits-honorees/19158237/

Celebrate peace in action. Follow Illinois Peace Project to learn about each of the honored changemakers, including our own Outreach Supervisor, Tavares Harrington.

Illinois Peace Project

05/27/2026

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 every day to build safer, stronger, and more peaceful communities. This year’s honorees includes our very own, Tavares Harrington, Outreach Supervisor in Austin.

Celebrate peace in action. Follow Illinois Peace Project to learn about each of the honored changemakers, and see the full list of honorees here: https://illinoispeaceproject.org/peace-portraits/

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

05/26/2026

We’re closing out with evaluation findings that make the case for what dedicated, sustained investment in CVI worker wellness can—and should—look like.

Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science surveyed Chicago's street outreach personnel and found that 20% had been shot at on shift—and 59% had witnessed someone else being shot at while working. Chronic trauma and violence exposure don't just harm individual staff, they can undermine program effectiveness.

When wellness is underfunded, the true cost is paid in worker attrition and unrealized community impact. When we invest in our staff wellness, Chicago can stay safer.

Learn more at cornersresearch.org and https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/healing

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

05/20/2026

☀️ As we kickoff summer when violence typically spikes, support the public safety strategy that has been proven to save lives and heal communities from trauma. ☮️♥️

Invest in .
https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/donate

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P

05/18/2026

For Week 3 of , we have several lessons learned on CVI workforce wellness for experts in behavioral health and trauma.

The CVI workforce presents a distinct and underserved clinical profile that merits dedicated research and practice attention. Findings from CORNERS’ process evaluation of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago's Staff Wellness Initiative illuminate opportunities for behavioral health practitioners to meaningfully support CVI worker wellness.

For more information on this research, visit cornersresearch.org and https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/healing

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

05/14/2026

CVI Rally Day in Springfield! ♥️☮️


In communities most impacted by gun violence, is working to create safer streets and heal communities from trauma.



Learn more at https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/

05/14/2026

It's CVI Rally Day in Springfield! ✊🏽☮️
Listen to Teny Gross, CEO of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, explain why we have to and why ❤️

https://www.fox32chicago.com/video/fmc-teuvmly1sk77zaeh

CVI is hyper-local, data-driven, and incredibly collaborative--and it works!

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Fox 32 Chicago

Community violence intervention groups are en route to Springfield. They're pushing lawmakers to keep supporting efforts they say are working to drive down shootings and homicides across Illinois. Teny Gross is with the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago is joining us to share more.

05/11/2026

This , we're sharing field-informed lessons on CVI workforce wellness drawn from a CORNERS process evaluation. This week's focus on the importance of CVI Staff Wellness is for CVI leaders.

As you begin to focus on staff wellness, we learned that it is best to be consistent and visible.

Key cultural shifts we observed:
☑️ Staff began talking more openly about stress and mental health
☑️ Leadership modeling of PTO normalized rest as a professional value
☑️ Peer-led wellness spaces became some of the most valued resources in the organization — described by staff as "therapy without the therapy"

Culture changes slowly. Consistent action accelerates it.

For more information visit https://www.cornersresearch.org/resources and https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/healing

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Center for Neighborhood Engaged Research & Science Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

05/08/2026

We're constantly working hard to professionalize the field. Since the start of our partnership with College Unbound in 2023, 25 employees have enrolled and nine have graduated. Our staff pursue professional certifications to stay on top of best practices.

By dedicating themselves to creating safer communities, many of our staff have been promoted (more than once!) from frontline staff to leadership positions. We're proud of their professional growth and continue to support them their journeys.

"Those that do the work, lead the work."

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives Metropolitan Peace Academy

05/07/2026

The philanthropic community, represented by Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities, have committed their financial support needed to scale in the areas it’s needed most.

PSPC Executive Director, Esther Franco-Payne stated, “When you invest in community, the community delivers.” 💪🏽

We couldn't agree more!
Support as we work hard 24/7 to make Chicago safer for us all. ☮️♥️

Donate today at https://www.nonviolencechicago.org/donate


Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives