Regional CVI Conferences Are Crucial to Developing the Field

What often gets overlooked, however, is the need for regional gatherings—the spaces that honor local challenges, lift up homegrown solutions, and give local practitioners, policymakers, and researchers a chance to build together in ways that truly reflect the communities they serve. These regional CVI convenings are where the professionalization of the field truly takes root, grounded in real relationships, shared experience, and the collective foundation of the work we’re all committed to.

Regional convenings serve a different purpose than city or state-based gatherings. While city convenings may focus on local coordination and state convenings often center policy advocacy and funding structures, regional convenings create a rare middle space where shared histories, cultural context, and cross-jurisdictional realities come into conversation. They allow practitioners to learn across systems without losing sight of place, strengthening practice, relationships, and identity in ways that are both scalable and better coordinated.

At its core, this work has always been grounded in trust, lived experience, and the belief that healing and safety begin with human connection. In 2011, I saw that come to fruition as community-based violence intervention was gaining footing across New England. Alongside a group of other organizational leaders in the region, we recognized and sought to fill a gap. Streetworkers were doing some of the most critical public safety work in the community, yet rarely had spaces designed specifically for their growth, reflection, and collective learning. 

In response, we created a convening solely for streetworkers—one that was intentional, practitioner-led, and rooted in the realities of frontline work. From that vision, the New England Streetworker Conference was born. What started as a gathering of 100 streetworkers has grown into a regional convening of more than 300 practitioners from across New England, held annually at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. Each year, the conference reinforces a shared commitment to reducing violence, strengthening practice, and sustaining a movement built by those closest to the work.

To better understand what types of spaces would benefit the field, I spoke with national partners, CVI professionals, and subject matter experts. In my conversations, one thing became unanimously clear: These spaces matter. Everyone believes in the need for consistent professional development, the power of building real relationships across cities, and the importance of creating a space where frontline workers feel seen, valued, and supported. Regional convenings do all of this and more. 

These conferences give us more than just information—they give us perspective and a venue to strengthen our collective voices. They help build collective power, rooted in shared experience, knowledge, and purpose. As Teny Gross, CEO of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago, put it, “There’s power in numbers. You start bringing outreach together. Now we have a muscle, and guess what? City officials feel it. Funders feel it. Foundations feel it.”

When frontline practitioners from across the region come together, they’re not just learning—they’re strengthening the field. They are leveraging lived experience, cultural identity, and community wisdom in a way only they uniquely can. They’re aligning strategies, elevating field-tested expertise, and building unity that makes systems pay attention. That’s real power, and by supporting the development of these spaces, the work can only become more effective. “The people on the ground should be driving the conversations,” said Thomas Harmon, street outreach team lead at the Nonviolence Institute, when we spoke to him. “It shouldn’t be top-down. We’re the closest to the problem, but we’re also the closest to the solution, with the least amount of resources.”

“Imagine if we’re organized and we had [better collaboration in] New England, Chicago, LA, New York, the South, Florida, Texas, all these contingents,” Fernando Rejón of the Urban Peace Institute explained. “Everybody comes up with their own standards. Then you merge those documents, and now you have national standards that a large portion of the country has bought into.” This kind of network bridges local impact with national strategy, strengthening work across the country.

Just as important as the ideas exchanged at these gatherings are the leaders who emerge from them. All conferences focused on advancing CVI, regional or otherwise, create space for leadership to grow where it matters most: from the front lines. They create an environment and expectation for frontline leadership to mature, transforming experience into strategy and ensuring those closest to the work are shaping the direction of the field.

That’s not about titles so much as it’s about cultivating trusted public servants who can guide, influence, and inspire others to drive strategies that save lives and promote healing. These convenings are a way to identify and uplift diverse leaders—those who have lived the struggle and earned the respect of their communities—while building the skills, resources, and infrastructure to make the work sustainable. As Fernando put it, “Just having conversations, breaking bread, building relationships. And the idea is that, years down the road, if it’s watered locally, it grows. And you nurture the relationships with one another.”  

Without spaces like these, the movement risks burnout and fragmentation. As Antonio Gutierrez of Lynn Street Outreach Advocacy said, “When I walked into that room and saw all those different shirts [of outreach organizations], I realized I’m not by myself.” Regional CVI conferences keep the roots of this work strong, connected, and ready to bear fruit. That’s why these gatherings can’t be an afterthought. They are part of a national strategy to reduce gun violence in a culturally relevant way. 

In all my conversations with experts in the field, it became very apparent that practitioners and organizational leaders want to learn from each other and strengthen their regional networks. With recent federal funding cuts, many lack resources for training and technical assistance. Now is a ripe time to establish regional peer exchange networks to facilitate learning communities that offer cross-organizational collaboration and cost-effective support. 

When regions are organized and connected, the entire CVI field becomes better positioned to sustain impact over time. Regional convenings provide that essential space for practitioners, policymakers, and partners to align priorities, share hyperlocal lessons from the field, and build the relationships and shared strategy that drive effective violence intervention. In doing so, they help ensure that the lessons, leadership, and momentum emerging from communities are not isolated efforts but part of a growing, coordinated movement to save lives.