Interrupt The Violence
Who are we?
Interrupt the Violence (ITV) has over a decade of experience developing violence prevention, conflict resolution, and public safety plans throughout the country. We partner with city and state governments, community-based organizations, nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, activists, and stakeholders to develop an impact strategy that achieves results. Our expertise is in identifying key stakeholders, highest-risk youth, community partners, and major players to come together to reduce violence without increasing incarceration. Our initiatives aim to leverage community strengths, challenge the cultural components that perpetuate violence, and provide hope.
Community Work
ITV has the expertise, experience, aptitude, and attitude to connect with the highest-risk youth. Young people at the margins of the social safety net and out of reach for traditional outreach programs are our reason for being. Our team has decades of experience reaching the unreachable.
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For the past ten years, ITV has been tapped by Foundations, community-based organizations (CBO), healthcare initiatives, documentary filmmakers, reporters, NGOs, and school programs to identify and connect with those youth most in need.
ITV has led seven seasons of basketball peace tournaments for Noah’s Arc Foundation in Chicago, NYC, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Memphis resulting in dozens of peace treaties between rival cliques and the adoption of conflict resolution and coping strategies for hundreds of young people.
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In 2019, ITV partnered with Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears to expand to flag football themed community tournaments in Chicago. ITV also establishes partnerships in the public and private sector to have a community impact.
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Public Safety Services
Interrupt the Violence (ITV) works with local, city, and state municipalities nationwide to develop a community-specific public safety plan. These plans focus on resource mapping, identifying partners, coordinating community events, and establishing criteria for outreach to the highest risk youth with the aim of reducing violence and shifting the culture that reinforces it.
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We tailor these responses to community needs. From light touch public safety response developing coalitions of multi-sector community stakeholders to hosting culture shifting community events. ITV has a proven track record of hosting peace tournaments, flag football events, bag giveaways, and BBQs to promote positivity and peace throughout the community. We can help plan these events and customize a communication strategy to emphasize positive outcomes.
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We also offer more intensive programs on recruiting and training the right workers, developing a violence interruption team, and focusing efforts on the highest risk individuals and the most violent communities. ITV has over a decade of experience convening stakeholders, shaping strategy, and organizing violence prevention initiatives to increase public safety in communities across the country and throughout the globe.
Services include:
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Stop the Violence 101
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Violence Interruption: The Art & Science of Rapid Engagement
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Building Relationships with residents that matter
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Conflict Mediation
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Understanding Grief, Loss, and Retaliatory Street Violence
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Building & Maintaining Partnerships with Communities and Organizations
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Violence Interrupter Self Care; Combating, Burn Out, Secondary Trauma, and Vicarious Trauma
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Anger Management
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Understanding Community and Historical Trauma
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Understanding Historical Trauma
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Identifying Potential and Real Violence
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Gangs, Cliques and Street Organizations
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Multi-generational Conflicts: “Youth vs Parents”
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Improving Faculty, Staff, and Student relations
Youth Programs
ITV offers training for youth workers, counselors, social workers, teachers, and others focused on the highest-risk young people. Strategies for cultivating non-judgmental attitudes, deescalating conflict situations, creating positive environments, and reaching hard to reach kids are offered to individual staff or on an institutional basis. ITV provides a method that goes beyond the conventional trauma informed care model to deliver outcome-oriented interventions, effective communication strategies, and exercises in empathy.
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ITV will offer package deals that combine motivational speaking opportunities with immersive trainings for youth and staff.