Gifts in Action - Chicago Project for Violence Prevention/Ceasefire

CHICAGO PROJECT FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION/CEASEFIRE

The Chicago Project for Violence Prevention at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s School of Public Health has been effective curbing shootings in some of Chicago’s at-risk neighborhoods. In the first two years of the program’s presence on the streets of a neighborhood, residents see a 40 to 50 percent drop in shootings.

CeaseFire is an initiative of the Chicago Project, which works with community organizations to develop and implement strategies to reduce and prevent violence, particularly shootings and killings. CeaseFire relies on outreach workers, clergy and community leaders to intervene in conflicts, promote alternatives to violence and change behaviors.

While CeaseFire provides the tools and strategies to reduce violence under a public health outreach model, it views the local community as the operational entity. In partnering with communities, CeaseFire identifies a lead agency to form a community-wide coalition to draft a violence prevention plan and oversee program implementation. The community hires a full-time program manager to run the program in each neighborhood.

Now, thanks to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Chicago Project will have additional resources to carry on its good work. Realizing safety is a prerequisite for community and personal development, the Foundation is providing the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention with a $1.2 million grant over four years.

THE MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

Founded in 1978, the MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. It seeks the development of healthy individuals and effective communities, peace within and among nations, responsible choices about human reproduction and a global ecosystem capable of supporting healthy human societies.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

“There is an infectious nature to violence and the strategy of our project is to find interrupters to that transmission,” said Gary Slutkin (pictured above), M.D., executive director and founder of the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention. A Chicago native, Dr. Slutkin is also a physician and UIC professor of Epidemiology and International Health.

“It’s incredible what we've been able to do, the lives we’ve seen transformed and the excitement and sense of safety residents have when they see outreach workers in their communities,” said Maggie Pagan, violence prevention coordinator for the CeaseFire campaign in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood. “We went into a 10-block-square police beat in 2003 that had seen 10 homicides that year. After a full-force effort of outreach, public education and communication with gang leaders, there hasn’t been a single homicide in that beat since.”

Story courtesy UIC Development.