Celebrating Urban Peace Academy Graduates

Urban Peace Institute is proud of the latest cohort of peacemakers that graduated from the Urban Peace Academy in December 2023. The intensive 100-hour certification training develops the ability of community intervention workers to effectively reduce violence and create peace. When people come to Los Angeles, we want them to recognize that a robust community-based safety system is essential to ensuring public safety and that peacemakers play a crucial role in reducing violence.

"Who better to stop the bullets from flying than those who were out there, caught in the cycle of violence?" - Fernando Rejón, UPI Executive Director

Thank you to Deputy Mayor Karren Lane, Office of Community Safety; Councilmember Tim McOsker, Council District 15; and Fernando Montes-Rodriguez, Council District 8 for attending the graduation ceremony. UPI is grateful to our Board Members Connie Rice, Paula Litt, and Jane Peebles for being present to honor peacemakers. We also appreciate Master of Ceremony Paul Carrillo of Giffords Center for Violence Intervention, the Professional Standards Committee, and the many veteran community interventionists who attended in support of the next generation of peacemakers. 

Congratulations, graduates! Thank you for your dedication to creating peace and reducing violence in Los Angeles communities.