Strengthening Nonviolence Interventions

Strengthening Nonviolence Interventions is a training and professional development project designed to increase the effectiveness of the Nonviolence Institute. The overall goal is to prevent or combat youth violence and to assist victims of crime. The Institute’s 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 coach staff 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.