Introducing Communities Partnering 4 Peace

As violence dominates conversations about Chicago, we are proud to partner with eight community organizations on an initiative focused on promoting peace. The collaboration, called Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P), engages nine of the city’s highest-risk neighborhoods. Our approach includes intensive community outreach to help prevent and intervene in violence; “Light in the Night” activities to empower communities to reclaim safe spaces; the Metropolitan Peace Academy, which professionalizes outreach; and Community Hubs to coordinate services and build capacity.

The program, which began in 2017, has already served about 5,000 people in communities across Chicago. During our recent President’s Council panel, community leaders LeVon Stone, Sr. of Cure Violence, Eddie Bocanegra of Heartland Alliance’s READI Chicago, and Chris Patterson of Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, joined our CEO, Ric Estrada, to discuss ways to bring peace to Chicago. View photos from the President’s Council panel here.

“The response has been terrific,” said Ric during a recent appearance on Comcast Newsmakers. He is energized by the collaborative aspect of the initiative, which brings together the work of multiple organizations. He continued, “The real promise, and the magic, is that we are all now sitting together.”

View Ric on Comcast Newsmakers below.