INSTITUTE FOR NONVIOLENCE CHICAGO
June is Gun Violence Awareness Month
We provide a variety of wellness resources to our staff, most of whom have experienced a significant amount of trauma both on and off the job. Additionally, we train them in Cognitive Behavioral Interventions so they can work more effectively with our program participants and teach them coping skills from a place of authenticity.
This month join us as we remember those we lost to gun violence, uplift survivors, promote peace, and support healing.
HEAR FROM THE PEOPLE ON THE FRONT LINES, WHO ARE WORKING TO END VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO
AND BUILD THE BELOVED COMMUNITY.
JUSTICE. EQUALITY.
PEACE. LOVE.
This is what community should look like.
Dr. King dreamt of peaceful communities that don’t just avoid conflict but work through them with compassion and understanding. He coined this concept: the Beloved Community.
We believe the best way to reform Chicago’s neighborhoods is to build Beloved Communities all throughout the city. And we’re dreaming of and working toward the day when all of Chicago is one big, peaceful, beloved city.
Nonviolence—or nonexistence?
The choice is ours.
Whether violent crime has affected you personally or you feel like you can’t turn on the news without seeing another shooting—we know it’s hard not to feel hopeless. Maybe even numb. But we believe not only that something can be done to stop violence in Chicago but that something must be done. It’s our responsibility.
So how do we put an end to violence in our city? Our approach is rooted in Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence. Kingian Nonviolence provides not only principles to follow but also practical steps to take to build peace in our communities. It’s not just a way of thinking—it’s a way of life.
Violence is learned.
But nonviolence can be learned too.
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Change happens locally. This is why we work on the ground, face-to-face with those living in communities affected by violence. Through human interaction, we’re working to bring people together to find a better way to respond to conflict—that doesn’t involve using a gun.
We connect with communities and individuals by offering a variety of programs, such as outreach and conflict management, case management, victim services, Nonviolence training, and community organizing. We want to do as much good as possible, so we’re collaborating with local organizations and partnering with Northwestern's Corners Research and the University of Chicago Crime Lab to evaluate our programs and make sure everything we do is helping eliminate violence in a real way.
WE CAN'T IGNORE THE VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO. IN 2022:
636
people were killed by gunfire
2,875
nonfatal shootings
THERE IS A WAY TO END VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO.
AND YOU CAN BE PART OF IT.
Join the cause. Because we all
deserve safe communities.
We’re putting Dr. King’s principles of nonviolence into action in neighborhoods across the city. It’s already making a difference in Austin, Back of the Yards, Brighton Park and West Garfield Park.
Healing is possible when we support, uplift, and empower one another. By standing united to bring Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community to life, we can build a more peaceful and just Chicago for everyone.
