Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

06/17/2026

Did you miss the Art of Peace last week? Good news--we're sharing the Leadership Panel featuring Arne Duncan (Chicago CRED Esther Franco-Payne (Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities), Teny Gross (Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and Vaughn Bryant (Metropolitan Peace Initiatives moderated by Laura Washington with everyone!

Watch as these leaders discuss "10 Years of CVI: Lessons, Leadership, and the Road Ahead."

Highlights:
-Teny is tired of apologizing.
- Arne says the risk is in us NOT doing the work. We are in the talent-identification business.
- Vaughn believes those with lived-experience should be leading the next generation of CVI.
- Esther knows empowering communities to create solutions needs full funding and support.
- All have HOPE and agree that Chicago can be the safest big city in the U.S. in 5-10 years. We have a plan and a strategy. Now we need to scale in all areas where it's needed to implement it. 💪🏾 ☮️ ❤️

https://youtu.be/0WVlw_2baaU

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P

06/10/2026

"One of the most important lessons I learned in policing is that real, sustainable public safety cannot be built through enforcement alone...We can acknowledge the value of policing while also recognizing that safer communities require a wider network of response, support and intervention. We can back law enforcement while also investing in approaches that reduce violence before it occurs." - Retired Lt. Diane Goldstein is a 21-year police veteran and executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership


https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/06/10/opinion-george-floyd-protests-public-safety-debate/

Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Metropolitan Peace Initiatives

Community safety strategies are facing an uncertain future as leaders retreat from investments that helped communities stabilize after COVID-19.

06/09/2026

"Gun violence in this country is not a 'them problem.' It's an 'us problem.' It's a 'we problem.'" - Dr. Selwyn O. Rogers ☮️

♥️ We agree, and are excited to read what solutions trauma surgeon and founder of UChicago's Trauma Center, Dr. Rogers, thinks in his upcoming book, "Healing the Gun Violence Epidemic: Ending Violence, Rebuilding Communities, and a Trauma Surgeon's Vision for Restoring Hope" available on July 7. 📅📗

Learn more and pre-order your copy now: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/790231/healing-the-gun-violence-epidemic-by-selwyn-o-rogers-jr-md-mph/

Healing the Gun Violence Epidemic shares the stories of the victims Dr. Rogers has met in his work, and the lessons he’s taken from bearing witness to so much trauma. The book traces the origins of gun violence in the South Side—including decades of generational poverty bred from too little aid—and compares the lives of the young people he treats to his’ own path: from humble beginnings to using his Ivy League education to aid others and, he hopes, to end the cycles that have kept countless people trapped in never-ending agony. In the end, Dr. Rogers shares his insights into what policies have failed and which solutions have succeeded—making him believe that the devastation and trauma can end—not just in Chicago, but across the United States.

📸: Dr. Rogers with our Back of the Yards outreach and victim support staff at UChicago Trauma Center


Chicago CRED Communities Partnering 4 Peace - CP4P Institute for Nonviolence Chicago Penguin Books UChicago Medicine The University of Chicago

06/08/2026

Today, our hearts are heavy as we say goodbye to Shay. 😪❤️

Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and Back of the Yards won’t be the same without her as she worked tirelessly to bring peace to her community. The impact she had on our lives, our team, our participants, and our Beloved Community will never be forgotten.

We are grateful for the memories we shared and will carry them with us always.

Shay Genous Knox , we will miss you more than words can express. ❤️

06/05/2026

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

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

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

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