Richmond Peace Education Center

Since 2017, Virginia LISC has been partnering with Richmond Peace Education Center to create and nurture the Jackson Ward Youth Peace Team (JWYPT). Started in response to growing community concerns connecting teens and crime, the purpose of this program was to position teens as peace leaders in their own community. With a focus on the public housing community of Gilpin Court, JWYPT consists of youth completing the peace leaders training and organizing community events and programming focused on violence prevention, retaliation suppression and awareness. While RPEC has been a leader in teen peace and justice programming across the region, this was the first time piloting these efforts in a specific neighborhood. Since its’ inception, the program model has become sought after by other youth serving agencies and is ripe for expansion.

Impact: More than 30 youth have participated with the JWYPT. These young people have lead conflict resolution workshops for their community, participated in advocacy (ex: “Party at the Polls”, tenant council etc.), and helped organize local rallies and marches for justice issues impacting their community and more. Some of the most important things teens have learned include: “How to stop gun violence”, “Coping skills for when I get mad”, “Communication – I’m better at talking to people.”