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Wisconsin Community Safety Academy

The Wisconsin Community Safety Academy (WCSA) is a training and professional development initiative of the CIC’s Division of Community Safety Policy and Engagement to increase the knowledge, skill, and capacity of community safety practitioners throughout the state. We believe that a highly skilled workforce will enhance the quality and impact of efforts to prevent and respond to various forms of violence impacting youth, families, and communities throughout our state.

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The Wisconsin Community Safety Academy is designed to:

Increase awareness of violence as a public health issue including root causes of violence and its impact.
Enhance knowledge of evidence informed strategies to effectively prevent, intervene in, and respond to violence.
Explore the intersection of various forms of violence and strategies for comprehensive interventions.
Support the development of core competencies for community safety and violence prevention practitioners in Wisconsin.

First Cohort (Fall 2025)

The Wisconsin Community Safety Academy launched its first cohort to strengthen the capacity of professionals working in Community Violence Intervention (CVI) across the state. As a convener of Wisconsin’s statewide CVI ecosystem, we consistently heard from practitioners about the need for accessible, ongoing professional development tailored to the realities of frontline violence prevention work. In response to this feedback, the Academy prioritized CVI professionals for its inaugural cohort, creating a learning space focused on strengthening skills, sharing best practices, and building connections among practitioners.

The first cohort brought together four participants representing three organizations across three Wisconsin communities. Over the course of nine weeks, participants engaged in a structured learning experience totaling 18 instructional hours. Sessions focused on core CVI competencies, practical strategies for community safety, and opportunities for peer learning and collaboration. By starting with a small, focused cohort, the Academy was able to pilot its curriculum, gather feedback from participants, and begin building a foundation for future cohorts that will continue to support and strengthen Wisconsin’s CVI workforce.

First Cohort Participant Quotes

“The most valuable part of the academy was the shift in perspective from seeing violence as isolated incidents to understanding it as a preventable public health issue. The emphasis on prevention, data, lived experience, and community-based solutions helped connect theory to real world practice. It affirmed that the work we do in schools and communities is not separated from public health, but a critical part of it. The clarity strengthened my confidence in the importance and impact of this work.”

“What I found most valuable was learning how to address the root causes of violence through prevention, healing and early intervention-while gaining practical tools I can use both personally and in the community to reduce harm and strengthen relationships.”

Contact Us

For questions about our programs, please contact us:

ThriveOn King
2153 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
3rd Floor
Milwaukee, WI 53212

WCSA@mcw.edu