Chicago Peace Fellows launched the Mutual Aid Collaborative as a model of shared leadership, collaborative decision-making and collective action to support our communities through the twin epidemics of COVID-19 and violence.

Our Stories, Our Lives is one of the six summer projects that this year’s Peace Fellows collaboratively designed and supported using a dedicated pooled fund for violence prevention. The purpose of this project was to give young people a platform to tell their stories in different art forms with no limits.

As world leaders convene at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the GCRF Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub at Newcastle University brings together teams from Colombia, Ethiopia, India and Malaysia to improve water security and to build resilient futures.

The 2021 Chicago Peace Fellows cohort gathered to celebrate and reflect on nine months of shared learning and collaboration at a moving Graduation ceremony at the Chicago History Museum. The fellows were cheered by friends, family, civic leaders, and alumni as they each crossed the stage to receive their graduation certificate.

The CrimeStoppers team of the Chicago Peace Fellows invite grassroots organizations to apply before November 17th for a $2,000 micro-grant to support real community safety through grassroots leadership!

On October 16th, 2021 Chicago Peace Fellows Bertha Purnell, Randy Sadler and Dorothy Thompson invited members of the community who have been directly impacted by violence to convene in Washington Park to celebrate life under the banner We Are Survivors.

Women of Faith In Action brought together 300 youth in Mombassa, Kenya as part of the Building Family Resilience Against Violent Extremism project to reflect on the vital role of youth in promoting peace and preventing violent extremism in the community.

Dr. Pamela Phoenix, Gloria Smith and Dawn Hodges partnered together as part of the Chicago Peace Fellows Mutual Aid Collaborative to launch a project titled: Healing Centered Activities for Our Seniors, providing seniors with opportunities to connect with other people, discuss their emotions, and share their stories.

Two Chicago Peace Fellows, Jamila Trimuel and La’Keisha Gray-Sewell, joined forces through Chicago Peace Fellow’s Mutual Aid Collaborative to design and implement an initiative called Raising Black Girl Magic, which was dedicated to serving the needs of young Black women in Chicago to help them through the disruption of COVID-19.

Global Fellow Dieudonne Allo from the Global Leading Light Initiatives in South Africa offers an inspiring update including plans for the future of GLLI's community and network.