Indy Peace Fellowship launches campaign to build community and reduce gun violence

By Kyra Howard, TheStatehouseFile.com

• Jun 9, 2023 

he Indy Peace Fellowship, an initiative started in 2022 by the Indy Public Safety Foundation and the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety, has kicked off a multiple-month campaign to let community members know how they can join ongoing efforts to reduce gun violence.

The #IChoosePeace campaign is the first of its kind for the Indy Peace Fellowship. Its launch coincides with June’s national gun violence awareness month and will continue through October.

Dane Nutty, president and CEO of the Indy Public Safety Foundation said June is just the start for this year’s plans for the fellowship.

Over the next few months Indy Peace Fellowship will host and attend events across the city. Nutty said outreach will focus on building community and directing individuals to resources to cover their basic needs.

“So we might be connecting individuals with food resources, transportation resources, a lot of social determinants of public health and safety that end up, kind of, down the line being causes for violence,” said Nutty. “So a lot of that is raising awareness, having our staff out there at the communities that might have the most significant challenges in the city of Indianapolis and just making sure that we have that availability.”

‘Pledge wall’ showing various statements on the Indy Peace Fellowship website.

Screenshot by Kyra Howard, TheStatehouseFile.com.

The Indy Peace Fellowship has also established an online wall as part of  #IChoosePeace where people can share their pledge for choosing peace and a tab to get involved on their site.

Some pledges are motivated by wanting a safer community for loved ones. Other people share stories of loss that motivated them to make the pledge.

One person said they were choosing peace for their friends and family. “I choose peace for my family and friends in my community. I vow to be a servant leader in my neighborhood and practice peaceful solutions.”

A woman said she wanted “To foster a safe and happy environment for my grandchildren and children everywhere.”

One individual highlighted the pain for losing loved ones. “I have had 2 classmates die from gun violence, they should have graduated 2023.”

June is the campaign  kick-off but the fellowship will work to increase awareness and create collective action through October. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and one of the busiest months for homicides and non-fatal shootings in Indianapolis according to Nutty.

Indy Peace Fellow also has a life coach program in which individuals can participate. The program aims to offer hope and opportunity according to their website.

“Our main focus is intervening with individuals who have a high risk of committing or being a victim of gun violence,” said Nutty. “We utilize a 12- to 18-month life coach model that provides very intensive engagement and intervention to make sure that we’re identifying and meeting what needs they may have in their life that are leading them towards that choice.”

The Indy Peace Fellowship now has an ongoing relationship with the city of Indianapolis. Mayor Joe Hogsett helped announce the kickoff of the Indy Peace Fellowship campaign. He attended the kick off event along with other Indy Peace fellowship partners on May 31st at the Indianapolis Central Library. This is just one part of Hogsett’s effort to reduce gun violence and continue his public safetyinitiative.

“It was a natural fit for us to work alongside the city to kind of leverage the benefits of a city agent and a nonprofit working on such a significant issue in our city,” said Nutty. “We have a very good relationship with the mayor’s office and the Office of Public Health and Safety and help connect the community with both of those organizations.”

FOOTNOTE:  Kyra Howard is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.