Metropolitan Peace Academy graduates fourth cohort of street outreach workers
Contact:
Bridget Hatch I 312.986.4223 l hatchb@metrofamily.org
Ann Pinkney l 312.986.4032 l pinkneya@metrofamily.org
Metropolitan Peace Academy graduates fourth cohort of street outreach workers
Academy Promotes Best Practices to Professionalize Outreach
and Reduce Chicago Violence
CHICAGO (January 16, 2020) – Twenty-five of Chicago’s top street outreach experts – those specializing in diffusing street violence – graduated from the Metropolitan Peace Academy, a multidisciplinary training platform designed to professionalize and strengthen the fields of street outreach and community violence prevention. The event took place from 6 – 9 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at the South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 S South Shore Drive.
Norman Kerr, Director of Violence Prevention at the City of Chicago, gave the keynote remarks during a program, which also featured several graduates reflecting on their experiences in the program.
Graduates participated in a rigorous 144-hour, 18-week curriculum focused on street outreach, nonviolence, trauma-informed services and restorative justice. The Academy is the first of its kind in Chicago.
The Peace Academy is part of Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), an initiative that provides a comprehensive, long-term approach to reducing violence and gang activity among the individuals and communities it serves. Organized by Metropolitan Family Services, CP4P features 15 of Chicago’s leading outreach organizations who have combined their expertise to jointly impact 22 Chicago communities most affected by gun violence.
About Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P)
Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), convened by Metropolitan Family Services, is an unprecedented partnership of leading outreach and restorative justice organizations that are reducing gun violence in Chicago with a comprehensive, evidence-based, trauma-informed approach. Working with police and the public sector, CP4P is a coordinated response to the public health crisis that is gun violence. Learn more: www.metrofamily.org/cp4p
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