We had a blast celebrating intervention workers at last Friday's We Love Peacemakers event! Urban Peace Institute welcomed peacemakers from the Los Angeles Violence Intervention Coalition agencies for a day of self-care and wellness at the Beehive. To show peacemakers our appreciation for their dedicated efforts, the event offered massages, art lessons, succulent making, games, tacos and more! 

As frontline intervention workers, peacemakers respond 24/7 to violent incidents, homicides, and shootings to quell community tensions, conduct rumor control, and provide support for victims and their families. These essential peacekeeping services have an effective track record of saving lives and decreasing retaliatory gun violence. However, the stress, trauma, and emotional weight of this work lies heavily on violence intervention workers.

Urban Peace Institute looks forward to many more opportunities to thank peacemakers and uplift their well-being. It is a joy to gather peacemakers from communities across Los Angeles in the name of peace.