Partnership for Invent2Prevent
We are currently partnering with EdVenture Partners, in coordination with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security, to bring the Invent2Prevent program to Illinois. Through this partnership, we seek to empower and motivate high school students in the state of Illinois to prevent targeted violence and domestic terrorism through participation in an expanded and enhanced version of the Invent2Prevent program. Invent2Prevent is a nationally recognized youth experiential program that challenges students to design and implement innovative peer-developed initiatives and tools aimed at reducing the risk of radicalization to violence.
The project is divided into two phases; a pilot phase (2024-2025 school year) with five high schools and an expanded phase (2025-2026 school year) with up to 20 high schools in participation for a total of up to 25 high schools teams in Illinois. In each phase, participating schools will complete a curriculum that augments societal awareness of risk factors and protective factors and deepens understanding of violent content. Subsequently, teams design, launch and deploy tailored initiatives aimed at reducing targeted violence and hate crimes in their communities. Each phase will culminate in a daylong summit and competition to be held at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville that will showcase student projects, keynote speakers and the opportunity to participate in high impact practices that foster civic engagement and strengthen youth resilience to radicalization to violence.
This project is funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Program.