At the close of the 2018 Safe& Peaceful Chicago grant cycle, we asked select grant recipients to offer words of reflection about their work and the larger mission of the Initiative. Lisa D. Daniels, founder, the Darren B. Easterling Center for Restorative Practices, used her 2018 grant funding to produce and host a summit dedicated to truth and forgiveness.   The

Safe and Peaceful grantee North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCC), held a tree planting in Unity Park to commemorate community organizer Arthur L. Fair III. The park was founded by area residents who, with support from multiple community partners, maintain and landscape the space so it may serve as a gathering place for both recreation and https://youtu.be/AvNpz5eIBGU

Safe & Peaceful grantee FOUS Youth Development helps kids be superheroes for their community A couple of Wonder Women, a Black Panther or two, and a fairy ladybug decided to stand up against violence in their community. Their wings and weapons may have been fabric and costumes, but nonetheless, the children participating in the 4 Us Youth Development (FOUS) "Everyone

Safe & Peaceful grantees embrace the power of partnership Ending the cycle of violence one community at a time is the goal for both Peace Makers Worldwide and A Work of Faith Ministries, who have come together as The Violence Prevention Consortium, or VPC. Together, the organizations want to cease the violence in Chatham, with a focus

Safe & Peaceful grantee the Center for Advancing Domestic Peace partnered with Neighborhood Barbers for Peace to hold a talent contest throughout the summer. At its culminating award ceremony, the placing contestants shared their thoughts on how the contest impacted their lives, inspiring them to forego violence and spend their time learning tangible skills that can

SPC grantee uses the power of the pen and lens to highlight West Siders perspectives so they can tell their own stories. Richard Marion was just a youngster — 6th or 7th grade, he can't recall — when he discovered The Westside Writing Project (WWP). "We used to go to Chicago Commons, going up there just after school, getting on computers, wasting

Safe & Peaceful grantee uses baseball and softball as a way to come together and celebrate South Shore youth While sports/competitive participation are the core drivers of Lost Boyz Inc. offering, program coordinator Lee Smith recognizes that, too often, South Side youth need to have opportunities to just "be." "I take the kids on local field trips to broaden their

All photos by Hex Hernandez Second-year Safe & Peaceful grantee Jardincito Nature Play Community Garden uses nature as a conduit to showcase and serve the spirit of Little Village Located at 23rd and Whipple, Jardincito, or "little garden", is one of the very few greenspaces open to residents on Chicago's Southwest Side. "A lot of the gardens that we're

Safe & Peaceful grantee uses decorative arts as a conduit for relationship-building built on peaceful connection. Harlan Community Academy junior ShaQuia Carmona and her classmates spent their Saturdays working to complete two murals, the newest additions to a series of projects now dotting Harlan's hallways. The murals — music-themed silhouettes of students in mosaic and gesso — were

Through an atmosphere of technological and artistic innovation, the Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire offered community members a chance to learn from and inspire each other while showcasing their wares and works. Safe & Peaceful grantee & event organizer Jackie Moore proclaims: "The Mini Maker Faire is a celebration of the people, of those folks who