Nonviolent Peaceforce

OUR MISSION

At Nonviolent Peaceforce, we are dedicated to fostering protection and peace, in Minnesota and across the globe. No matter how uncertain the future may seem, our mission has always been to provide a beacon of hope and transformation – using nonviolent methods to tackle conflicts and work with communities to make them safer. For over 22 years, our organization has been tirelessly working to ensure a world where violence is not the answer but rather, nonviolence serves as the foundation of lasting change.  

THE HUB FOR NONVIOLENCE AND SAFETY

Last November, we opened the doors to the Hub for Nonviolence and Safety on the corner of Lowry and Penn in North Minneapolis. What started as a dream has become a safe space for the community to connect through community events, access training in violence prevention, and gather around the shared goal of keeping people safe. The Hub is inclusive, open to all, and a safe space to bridge divides.  

We continue to see those in power focus on what divides us, create enemies, scapegoat others, and not tackle the real issues affecting communities around the country. Communities like those in North Minneapolis who are longing for change and hoping that one day they'll wake up and not hear that another young person was killed. This change must happen, and it starts with you. 

You can be a part of interrupting violence and building community safety in North Minneapolis with us by supporting the next phase of our vision.  

With your investment, NP will be able to:

1. Develop Safety Offerings for Youth. The Youth Room at the Hub for Nonviolence and Safety provides an alternative and safe space for youth to gather, access support, express themselves through art and music, and learn powerful safety tools and methods. We seek to grow this work in the next year and develop a Peacebuilding Academy that can provide intensive training, mentoring, and support to young people impacted by violence. They are best positioned to keep their community safe and we can be a foundation of support in their journey to peace.
2. Strengthen our Community Peacebuilder Program. Since 2021, NP has supported Community Peacebuilders to provide protection at community events, civic actions, and in the neighborhood. Made up of local changemakers, the Community Peacebuilders are trained to strategically provide protection through unarmed methods. Every day, they are out on the streets engaging with people in the community, asking them what safety looks like and what they need to feel safe. They partner with other community groups to provide training in violence prevention and are currently working on developing an Early Warning Early Response system to better identify threats to safety and initiate responses that reduce harm.
3. Build Women’s Safety Work to better understand and address the specific safety concerns and needs of women in North Minneapolis. Through documentation of women’s stories and observation of what is happening around the Hub, NP’s Community Peacebuilders will grow a cohort of women who can do protective work in the community and mitigate violence. 

Right now, we have a gap of $40,000 to fund programming at the Hub for Nonviolence and Safety in 2024. Your contribution now can help us close this gap and grow community safety for the people in North Minneapolis who just want to live in peace. Your gift today is an investment in hope, in a new way forward, and in proven nonviolent strategies that save lives. Together we can continue to change the narrative in North Minneapolis.