CHICAGO, IL – July 5, 2017 – The Resurrection Project (TRP) announced details today for its seven week summer campaign #IncreaseThePeace, a youth-led violence prevention initiative dedicated to creating and promoting a culture of nonviolence in our communities. Following an Independence Day weekend in which at least 14 people were killed and 101 were wounded in Chicago, TRP will take to the streets to engage residents and help them take direct action to reclaim their streets, create safer spaces, and bring resources to their community to help curb violence. The campaign will be led by over 40 youth who are participating in Mayor Emanuel’s One Summer Chicago jobs program and have received TRP’s Youth Leadership Training.

“Supporting the development of young leaders in our community is one of the greatest investments we can make as an organization,” said Jose M. Muñoz, Vice President of Community Ownership at the Resurrection Project, “the youth in our program will be working to make their neighborhoods safer this summer but will likely be tackling other civil rights issues in our city for years to come.”

TRP’s youth leaders will work with residents, community organizations, churches, the Chicago Police Department, and local leaders, to strategically target ‘Hot Spot’ areas during times when gang violence is more likely to occur, Friday evenings after 5pm, to host #IncreaseThePeace ‘Campout’ events that will include a peace march, free food, music, dancing, sports, bonfires, local speakers, nonviolence trainings, and workshops in areas such as employment, financial literacy, and peacemaking. The Friday night events will be preceded by a week of service in each of the targeted communities, which will include street clean up, door-to-door community engagement, resource sharing, and reporting of service needs to Chicago 311. The campaign’s inaugural ‘Campout’ event will take place on Friday, July 7^th in the Back of the Yards neighborhood outside of St. Joseph Church at 4821 S. Hermitage starting with a peace march followed by a series of planned activities organized to engage youth.

In 2016, TRP’s #IncreaseThePeace initiative hosted six first-of-its-kind peace events. The first was originally a peace march in the Back of the Yards neighborhood that was in response to a tragic shooting of a 17-year old girl, but eventually turned into a convivencia (family gathering) that lasted throughout the night. The originally singular action then grew from a reaction to a tragic event in one neighborhood into an ongoing movement for peace in several communities across the city. The youth that stayed overnight participated in leadership trainings led by TRP staff. A core group of last year’s participants completed the full TRP Navigation, Advocacy and Community Engagement (NACE) Leadership Development Training and are now serving as mentors in this year’s #IncreaseThePeace Summer Campaign.

For more information on #IncreaseThePeace and other TRP training, organizing, and action programs, visit www.resurrectionproject.org/our-departments/community-organizing/

#IncreaseThePeace Events:

FRIDAY, JULY 7, 2017, 5:00PM-5:00AM, ST. JOSEPH CHURCH, 4821 S HERMITAGE

CAMP-OUT

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017, 5:00PM-5:00AM, NEW LIFE CHURCH, 4106 W 28^TH ST

CAMP-OUT

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017, TBD, TBD

CAMP-OUT

FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2017, TBD, ST. ANN’S CHURCH, 1840 S LEAVITT ST

CAMP-OUT

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2017, 4:00PM-8:00PM, HAMILTON PARK, 513 W 72^ND ST

BLACK & BROWN SOLIDARITY EVENT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2017, 5:00PM-5:00AM, ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH, 4825 S DAMEN AVE

CAMP-OUT