AT THE CENTER OF NONVIOLENCE
STANDS THE PRINCIPLE OF LOVE.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
COMMITTED TO BUILDING THE BELOVED COMMUNITY ACROSS CHICAGO.
The cycle of gun violence deeply affects its victims—and it also creates layers of trauma that ripple outward through communities. To build safe communities that thrive without the threat of violence, we must act with compassion, justice, and empathy.
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “…the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”
The Institute for Nonviolence Chicago’s foundational approach blends our commitment to justice work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historical messages of nonviolence. Through his guidance, we continue to develop a holistic model for violence prevention, intervention, and reduction. Our dedicated team is made up of street outreach workers, victim advocates, behavioral health and wellness professionals, case managers, reentry specialists, and nonviolence trainers who help high-risk individuals transform their lives, lead with nonviolence, and build the Beloved Community.
NEKENYA’S STORY
Nekenya Hardy is the Associate Director of Outreach and Intervention at the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago. Since 2017, he has been in street outreach and conducted—and resolved—more than 1,000 conflict mediations in his community of Austin. As a victim of gun violence, Nekenya rejected retaliation and has since dedicated more than 15 years of his career to violence prevention. Here he talks about how outreach has impacted his community.
OUR FOUNDER, TENY GROSS
A leader in violence prevention, Teny Gross, was recruited to become the founder of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago in 2015. By skillfully blending principles of Kingian nonviolence and his lifelong peace advocacy work, Teny developed best-in-class approaches and methodologies to reduce gun violence in Chicago. He is a co-creator of the Civilian Architecture, a rich network of community violence intervention organizations (CVIs), civilians, and institutions that work together to end violence and heal communities.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE THROUGH KINGIAN NONVIOLENCE.
At the forefront of violence prevention, intervention, and reduction, the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago comprises 100+ staff members advocating for nonviolence. Every single one of our outreach workers lives in or is from the communities we serve—helping them to build real, lasting bonds with at-risk individuals. Through critical efforts with CVIs, our staff stays in step with program participants to reduce barriers and open opportunities to the legal economy.
45% of our staff have been trained in trauma-informed care
76% of our staff have been trained in Cognitive Behavioral Intervention (CBI)
5,891 conflict mediations facilitated since 2016
*Data as of December 31, 2024