Violence does not just affect: one community, income level, people, age or background. IT AFFECTS US ALL

What if every child was safe, healthy, loved and nurtured?  What if every girl and woman never needed to worry about being assaulted?  What if every gay or lesbian, disabled person, and person of color was valued and respected for who they are?  What if every senior was assured that their final years would be lived in the trust and security of an environment that valued their knowledge and experience?  What if every community was safe and rich with opportunity for its residents?

More than ever, the time has come for all of us to stand together in the face of violence, to galvanize our efforts, and to ensure the right of everyone to live free from violence.

Since 1992... ICVP has been guided by a unified yet dynamic premise: interpersonal violence in all its forms can be prevented by a concerted, diverse, and multidisciplinary movement that views violence as a public health and public safety issue. Learn more.

The Illinois Center for Violence Prevention fosters safe communities for people at every stage of life. We identify, promote and evaluate the best ways to prevent violence.

The Illinois Center for Violence Prevention believes that:

• Violence is preventable.
• Everyone has the right to live free from violence.
• Everyone has a role in preventing violence.
• Equality and respect are fundamental to successfully preventing violence.

The following principles guide ICVP and shape our systems approach to violence prevention in Illinois:

• We believe in a systems approach. Violence can be prevented if strategies are incorporated in all aspects of community life including family, school, workplace, social service, health care, and law enforcement settings.
• We believe in collaboration. Violence prevention initiatives succeed when they build on the existing strengths of individuals, families, organizations, communities, institutions and systems.
• We believe that research provides understanding of the root causes and consequences of violence, and the most effective means for preventing it. Successful violence prevention relies on research and evidence-based practices.
• We believe that effective program evaluation will help communities reduce violence and will demonstrate that investing in violence prevention makes good sense.
• We believe that ICVP must model the practices we advocate. We maintain a healthy and safe work place and build programs based on collaboration, research and evaluation.

Our statewide leadership includes state and city officials, corporate representatives, members of philanthropic circles, and local entrepeneurs. Introduce yourself to our Board and Leadership Council by clicking here.