Photo caption: The Community Violence Intervention certificate training program began on April 29.

Together with the Michigan Transformation Collective and Gryphon Place, Kalamazoo Valley Community College is piloting a professional certificate training program in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) to strengthen the capacity and alignment of local community violence efforts, increase community awareness of evidence-based community violence intervention methods, and professionalize the career of a frontline worker.

The 38-hour certificate program was identified as a community need for street outreach workers in the Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace, the first long-term, public health-minded, and community-led violence prevention strategy for Kalamazoo County.

The plan’s vision is to help create a place where every person thrives and is safe from community violence. It is a roadmap for addressing the root causes of violence and actionable steps that organizations in the community can take to respond to violence as it happens.

The CVI Certificate Program provides training for 30 community violence interventionists in Kalamazoo County, identified by law enforcement and community partners. The training started on April 29.

In the training, participants will:

• Understand violence as a public health issue and the role it plays in community violence intervention in Kalamazoo County.
• Identify and practice high-risk conflict mediation.
• Create a documentation process for Kalamazoo County street outreach.
• Learn how to use local data to inform violence intervention work.
• Understand the ways personal and societal attitudes affect views on suicide and interventions.
• Provide guidance and suicide first-aid to a person at risk in ways that meet their individual safety needs.
• Identify the key elements of an effective suicide safety plan and the actions required to implement it.
• Appreciate the value of improving and integrating suicide prevention resources in the community.
• Recognize other important aspects of suicide prevention, including life-promotion and self-care.

Other community partners include: Bent Not Broken, Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home, Urban Alliance, Peace During Way, Group Violence Intervention, St8 Motivation, Girls Loving Our Wisdom, HOPE thru Navigation, Pastors on Patrol, BLOCKS Club, and individual community members.

“We are confident that this training will enhance efforts to diffuse violence throughout the Kalamazoo community,” said Jennifer Heymoss, Kalamazoo Blueprint for Peace chief facilitator.

For more information, contact Heymoss at (269) 838-3420.

ABOUT KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Established in 1966, Kalamazoo Valley Community College offers certificate programs in more than 50 areas of study and associate degrees in 60 others. These include business, healthcare, human and public service, and technical occupations, culinary arts, and brewing training. The college has four Kalamazoo, Michigan locations, including the Texas Township Campus, the Groves Campus, the Arcadia Commons Campus, and the Bronson Healthy Living Campus. Classes are available during the day, evening, online, and weekends. Learn more at kvcc.edu.