Urban Peace Institute is bustling with community-based practitioner trainings this spring and summer! Training is a core pillar of UPI's mission to build a robust public safety infrastructure that centers the needs and voices of those most impacted by violence and injustice. Our trainings are strengthened by partnerships with Los Angeles City and County that provide crucial support. Read on to learn about UPI's current Credible Messengers and Community Violence Intervention trainings. 

Credible Messengers

Since March, UPI has trained 25 Credible Messengers from Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Healing Dialogue and Action, and Young Women's Freedom Center. The six-week training has covered topics including Restorative Justice and Trauma-Informed Care; Supporting Girls & Gender Expansive Youth; De-Escalation and Safety Awareness; and Re-Entry and Community Connection. The trained Credible Messengers will provide transformative mentorship to youth incarcerated inside LA County’s Secure Youth Treatment Facilities and juvenile halls. The trainings are an important step forward in the implementation of Youth Justice Reimagined and a vision for decarceration.

"This is going to be legacy work for every single one of us." - Edwin Paragas, Training Instructor &  Reentry Program Manager, Healing Dialogue and Action

Community Violence Intervention

Earlier this month, UPI celebrated the start of another Community Violence Intervention (CVI) training to certify 22 LA peacemakers. Led by national and local practitioners in the field, the 144-hour training will explore the key facets of CVI such as Maintaining a License to Operate, Professional Standards, Vicarious Trauma, and more. Alongside fellow peacemakers, participants will gain valuable knowledge and skills to reduce violence and create peace in their communities. The Urban Peace Academy training is pivotal to legitimizing the role of CVI workers as essential to ensuring public safety.

Peer-to-Peer Learning Academy

In partnership with The Community Based Public Safety Collective and the Los Angeles County Office of Violence Prevention, UPI is providing practitioner-led trainings on Intro to Community Violence Intervention and Professional Standards for the Peer-to-Peer Learning Academy. To learn more about the pilot program, visit peer2peeracademy.org/.