Strengthening nonviolence interventions is a training and professional development project designed to increase the effectiveness of the nonviolence institute

The Nonviolence Institute, a non-profit organization in Providence, RI, received a $150,000 Project Grant under the Department of Justice's Congressionally Recommended Awards (CFDA 16.753) program. The grant funding will support the "Strengthening Nonviolence Interventions" project, which aims to increase the effectiveness of the Institute's work in preventing and combating youth violence and assisting victims of crime in the core urban communities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Warwick.

The project will provide training and professional development to build the capacity of the Institute's staff, enabling them to better serve youth and young adults impacted by community violence. This includes hiring a half-time project manager to coordinate the training logistics and a full-time case manager to work directly with youth victims, connecting them to appropriate services and supports. The Institute will also contract with organizations to deliver evidence-based, skill-building training in areas such as youth worker certification, gang intervention, trauma-informed services, and motivational interviewing. The goal is to equip the Institute's staff with the necessary credentials and expertise to effectively implement their nonviolence interventions and provide comprehensive support to the youth and young adults they serve.

The overall goal is to prevent or combat youth violence and to assist victims of crime. The institutes work positively impacts youth and young adults throughout rhode island with a focus on the core urban communities of central falls, pawtucket, providence, and pawtucket. The project will engage the institute staff and community partners in ongoing skill-building through professional development provided by best practice training and technical assistance providers. By building staff capacity, the nonviolence institute will be better able to serve the comprehensive needs of youth and young adults impacted by community violence. A half-time project manager will coordinate the logistics of the training and provide support to staff as they engage in training and use their skills in their ongoing work. Providers will be selected that enable nonviolence institute staff to participate in high-quality, skill-building training experiences. When possible, the institute will select programs that lead to credentials in the fields of youth development and community violence prevention and intervention. In addition, a full-time case manager will be hired to work with youth victims of violence to be sure that they are connect with appropriate services and supports within our organization as well as in the community. The case manager will also coachstaff to better identify youth risk factors and the resources available in the community to meet their needs. The nonviolence institute will contract with several organizations to provide the training and professional development needed by staff. Organizations will be selected that have a track record for providing evidence-based training that supports the skills needed by institute staff and are critical to achieve outcomes with clients and support community change. All contractors will be expected to be responsive to diversity, inclusion, and equity practices in their work and have experience working in urban neighborhoods with high rates of community violence. Potential training areas include youth worker certification, gang intervention training, street conflict mediation, trauma-informed services, community resiliency, motivational interviewing, and other areas as determined by staff and community needs.