On September 6, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), in collaboration with the McCain Institute, EdVenture Partners, and Credence Management Solutions, launched the Fall 2023 semester of Invent2Prevent, a national student competition to identify new, whole-of-society approaches to prevent targeted violence, hate crimes, and terrorism.
Invent2Prevent, a DHS CP3-funded initiative, is an experiential learning program that empowers university and high school students to develop innovative initiatives, products, and tools throughout the semester to help prevent targeted violence in their local communities. Since Invent2Prevent’s inception in Spring 2021, more than 1,100 students in 119 collegiate programs across 32 states and Washington D.C. and 92 high school programs across 22 states have participated.
The Invent2Prevent (I2P) program gives some of our nation’s most talented young people an opportunity to play a pivotal role in the prevention process. Students’ I2P projects help policymakers and practitioners in the prevention field to better understand the threats individual communities face.
“What makes this program so valuable is prevention is a part of the culture of a given community, whether that’s a school or a town, and these students are building culture in their schools that decrease the likelihood of violence,” said the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention and Programs and Partnerships Director William Braniff. “This positive culture is transformational, and it all starts with individuals and students taking action and recognizing that they have the ability to be an agent of change, to build positive communities, and keep themselves and their families and friends safe.”
“Youth involvement is a critical part of the public health approach to prevention. Invent2Prevent empowers our youth to tackle issues of targeted and hate-fueled violence in their backyards and lead the way in building more safe and resilient communities,” said Brette Steele, senior director of preventing targeted violence at the McCain Institute. Each semester, we are continuously amazed by the students’ level of creativity and innovation in designing, executing, and measuring their I2P projects. We look forward to another fantastic I2P semester.”
“The confidence and excitement this program builds in our students are palatable,” said Tony Sgro, founder and chief executive officer of EdVenture Partners. “This program empowers young creative thinkers to address targeted violence and hate crimes in their own ways by uniquely understanding the challenges their generation faces. Students have the technology, foresight, and skills to make this world a safer place to live.”
This semester of the high school challenge will include the following schools:
Bowie High School ● Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School ● Burlington City High School ● Burlington Township High School ● Calhoun County Career and Technical Center ● Cambridge Virtual Academy ● Chesapeake High School ● Clay County Schools ● Elsinore High School ● Episcopal High School ● Fort Mills School District ● Germantown Central School ● Grenada Career & Technical Center ● James Clemens High School ● Jubilee Brownsville High School ● Jubilee Lakeview University Prep High School ● Jubilee San Antonio High School ●Jubilee Wells Branch High School ●Lee’s Summit High School ● Loara High School ● Louisiana Youth Advisory Council ● Loyola High School ● Mansfield Legacy High School ●Meade Senior High School ● Mohawk High School ● Monarch High School ● North Panola Career & Technical Vocational Schools ● Orange County Schools ● Passaic County Technical Vocational Schools ● Polytech High School ● Pompano Beach High School ● Raymond High School ● Sharon High School ● STEM School Chattanooga ● Terry High School ● Thomas Jefferson Arts Academy ● Wayland High School
This semester of the university competition will include the following institutions:
Alabama A&M University ● California State University, Dominguez Hills ● California State University, San Marcos ● Duke University ● Embry Riddle Aeronautical University ● Florida State University ● Georgia State University ● Howard University ● Idaho State University ● Iowa State University ●Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey ● Middle Tennessee State University ● Morris Brown College ● San Jose State University ● Southern University Law Center ● Stevenson University ● University of Akron ● University of Arizona ● University of Central Oklahoma ● University of Dayton ● University of Nebraska, Lincoln ● University of South Carolina ● University of Texas, Arlington ● University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Follow the progress of the I2P teams this semester on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram @invent2prevent.