Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Ending the cycle of gun violence in Chicago by addressing every phase. Choose Peace.

Portions of Chicago are seeing a rise in gun violence, but mostly in areas that lack sufficient investments, like Brig...
06/04/2026

Portions of Chicago are seeing a rise in gun violence, but mostly in areas that lack sufficient investments, like Brighton Park on the Southside.

But there is good news. Neighborhoods, like Austin, that are investing in CVI and scaling its workforce are still seeing big reductions in violence.

We need to ensure every family is safe this summer and support the public safety strategy that helped Chicago see the safest summer since 1965 last year.

A safer Chicago is possible—last summer proved it. Help make it happen again.

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

📢 LEADERSHIP UPDATE ☮️After years of extraordinary service building and strengthening the Institute for Nonviolence Chic...
06/03/2026

📢 LEADERSHIP UPDATE ☮️
After years of extraordinary service building and strengthening the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, Lisa Stephens, President & COO, has accepted a new role as COO for SC2 (Scaling Community Violence Intervention for a Safer Chicago)—one of the city’s most innovative CVI initiatives—at Chicago CRED. While we are deeply saddened to see Lisa leave us, we are immensely proud of her and excited for the impact she will surely make across Chicago.

Lisa has been an instrumental force in setting up Nonviolence Chicago in 2016, building the infrastructure for long-term growth and sustainability, and advancing the broader civilian architecture for violence prevention in our city. Her integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to excellence have established us as a national model for CVI. Our team and Board are profoundly grateful for her many contributions to our mission, staff, and the communities we serve—most notably:

❤️ Leading efforts to build a comprehensive CVI strategy for the city with a network of neighborhood organizations, non-profits, philanthropy, and government partners,
❤️ Bringing behavioral health and trauma services in-house and building out our staff wellness initiative, and
❤️ Building a partnership with College Unbound to allow staff to obtain their bachelor’s degree with 16 graduates to date.

While we will miss Lisa’s contributions, we are well-prepared for her transition. Starting July 1st, Marlena Jentz, Senior Vice President of Operations, will serve as Acting COO while we conduct a formal search. Marlena is a trusted and highly respected leader within the organization who has played a critical role in building our operational strength and supporting our growth.

Our work continues with urgency, strength, and optimism. Together with our dedicated staff, partners, and supporters, we remain deeply committed to advancing peace, supporting homegrown leaders, and driving innovation in violence prevention across Chicago. ☮️

📸
1. Lisa Stephens
2. Lisa with CEO, Teny Gross, and the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago team in the early days
3. Lisa with our most recent College Unbound graduates
4. Lisa working with Gov. JB Pritzker
5. Marlena Jentz, Sam Castro, and Lisa
6. Tavares Harrington (outreach) and Jeremy Clay (victim services) with Lisa
7. Lisa and part of the Austin SC2 team

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Chicago CRED Metropolitan Peace Initiatives
Former Secretary Arne Duncan

📰 What is the PEACEKEEPER PROGRAM and why does it works well in reducing violence? ☮️This article shows exactly why we t...
06/02/2026

📰 What is the PEACEKEEPER PROGRAM and why does it works well in reducing violence? ☮️
This article shows exactly why we trust Peacekeepers to mediate conflicts before it turns violent, and why investing in can make Chicago safer and more just.
PLEASE SHARE!♥️
https://www.chicagoreporter.com/inside-chicagos-growing-investment-in-violence-intervention/

Community Peacekeepers say reducing shootings means confronting poverty, trauma and instability in the neighborhoods most impacted by violence.
The Chicago Reporter

📸: A group of Peacekeepers canvass the Roseland and West Pullman areas on April 17, 2026. (Photo/Sara Cooper)


Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

Supporting frontline staff is essential in our mission to end the cycle of gun violence. As the CVI field expands, com...
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

Illinois Peace Project is proud to announce the honorees for its 2026 Peace Portraits series, a visual project dedicated...
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

We’re closing out with evaluation findings that make the case for what dedicated, sustained investment in CVI worker w...
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

☀️ As we kickoff summer when violence typically spikes, support the public safety strategy that has been proven to save ...
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

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

CVI Rally Day in Springfield! ♥️☮️ In communities most impacted by gun violence, is working to create safer streets ...
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/

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1856 N Leclaire Avenue Floor 3
Chicago, IL
60639

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