Investing in the Future of the Community Violence Intervention Workforce: Chicago's FLIP Strategy

Background: FLIP (Flatlining Violence Inspires Peace) is a multi-pronged gun violence intervention strategy designed to buttress Chicago’s growing outreach capacity by deploying Peacekeepers, who serve as temporary violence preventionists during the summer months, to gun violence hotspots in Chicago. Full-time outreach professionals train and supervise Peacekeepers to engage with the community, mediate conflicts, and establish non-aggression agreements (NAAs), or arrangements between rival groups to not instigate conflict. Peacekeepers earn a modest weekly stipend and receive services to reduce their own risk for gun violence involvement or mentorship to support their professional development. Using a mixed methods approach, this study analyzes Peacekeepers’ experiences and perceptions of the professional development and positive social network effects of program participation.

Methods: This study draws on administrative and program data from implementing partner organizations, informal interviews with street outreach professionals, Peacekeeper surveys (N=483) and semi-structured interviews and/or focus groups with 115 FLIP Peacekeepers from May 2021-December 2022. CORNERS employed a deductive thematic coding approach to analyze qualitative program, interview, and focus group data. Survey and administrative data were used to generate descriptive statistics to better understand the participant population at baseline and to assess Peacekeeper outcomes at program end. Formal and informal feedback sessions were conducted with program administrators, implementers, and with a subset of participants.

Results: The average FLIP Peacekeeper is 35 years old, Black, male, and takes care of at least one child. Most participants (70%) reported a prior arrest and/or period of incarceration, and for almost ¾ of participants (~72%), FLIP is their only source of employment. Almost half reported being shot at least one time prior to entering the FLIP program. The combination of CVI apprenticeship and legitimate income serve as a launchpad for many Peacekeepers into violence prevention professions. For those that are more proximal to active gang conflict, program participation functions as a stepping stone into CVI programming. Peacekeepers and implementing partner organizations alike value FLIP as a mechanism to expand positive social networks and the collective network of CVI in Chicago. Many Peacekeepers report positive changes to their relationships with friends, family, and community members as they commit to principles of nonviolence and engage in community building activities.

Conclusions: The findings from this study demonstrate that FLIP serves as an accessible entry point to both CVI programming and the CVI profession. The combination of service provision, professional development/apprenticeship, legitimate income, and community violence prevention activities that define FLIP facilitates improved participants' feelings of self-worth and self-confidence. These findings together are being used to develop more robust programming for FLIP participants as the program expands in 2023 and 2024.