Before we say anything about ourselves—our model, our milestones, or our measurable success—we start with those who made it all possible: the young men (and women) who decided to stop shooting.
They are not symbols. They are not slogans. They are Peacemaker Fellows—young adults who, at the moment of their enrollment, were considered the most likely to be killed or to kill with a firearm. They weren’t on the margins of the problem. They were at the center of it.
And yet, over the past ten years, more than 4,324 of these Fellows and their families have chosen another path.
And because they did, Advance Peace cities have seen over a 20% reduction in gun violence within 24 months of launching the Fellowship.
Because they did, 95% of those Fellows are alive today.
Because they did, 92% haven’t been shot, and 83% haven’t been involved in a new firearm offense.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a story of charity. This is a story of change. Real, lived, courageous change. And it didn’t happen because someone gave a speech, had a march, made a threat, passed a bill, or built another system designed to surveil or punish. It happened because these young people were invited into an experience of radical accountability and radical love. Because they were seen. Because they were heard. Because they were believed in.
And when they were believed in, they began to believe in themselves.
In March 2026, Advance Peace will celebrate ten years of work across this country. In that time, we’ve partnered with more than 125 cities, helped incubate, expand, and improve local Community Violence Intervention (CVI) strategies, and launched the Peacemaker Fellowship® in 15 cities. We’ve helped build similar efforts in dozens more. Together, we’ve helped cities save nearly $1 billion in avoided public safety and hospital costs.
But none of that would have been possible without the courage, commitment, and growth of our Fellows.
They are not just participants in the process. They are the process. They are the proof. They are the peace.
Too often, the public narrative about gun violence leaves these individuals out. Or worse, it reduces them to what they were at their worst moment—while ignoring everything they’ve done since to make things right. But here’s the truth: we will never end cycles of community gun violence without engaging the people most likely to be caught in its crosshairs—and recognizing their full humanity.
We cannot punish our way to peace. We cannot arrest our way to trust.
We cannot build safety by ignoring the people most shaped by the absence of it.
What we can do—and what we’ve proven through Advance Peace—is this:
- We can love our way toward transformation.
- We can build community around those who were left out of community.
- We can invest in healing—not just from trauma, but from the cycles of disinvestment that led to it.
- We can honor the resilience of people who were never supposed to make it.
The Advance Peace blog will be a space to tell the truth—about what’s working, about what’s hard, and about what’s still needed. But before we go any further, we need to make one thing plain:
- This isn’t about us. This is about them.
- The ones who had every reason to retaliate—but chose restoration.
- The ones who were written off—but wrote a new story.
- The ones who said yes to peace—before anyone else believed they could.
To every Peacemaker Fellow past, present, and future:
- We see you. We honor you. We thank you.
- You are the reason the first word on this new site is yours.
- Because none of this works—none of it—unless we’re willing to see your full humanity.
And build a future with you, not around you. Let’s Go…!