SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – Illinois is launching a program allowing high school students to take the lead in preventing targeted school violence and hate in their communities.

Known as Illinois Invent2Prevent, it’s a partnership between the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and EdVenture Partners. The program is based off a similar program at the federal level run by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Students in participating schools will be tasked with designing and implementing peer-developed projects, tools and strategies to combat targeted violence and hate according IEMA-OHS.

IEMA-OHS Deputy Director of Homeland Security Claire Moravec said targeted violence is a planned act of violence.

She said project examples include anti-bullying projects that help students create safer environments at school and in their communities.

“It does this by really giving them the opportunity to have that active role in their own world in creating initiatives that help combat targeted violence and hate because of those experiential learning initiatives that they’re developing to target those local issues that they’re experiencing,” Moravec said.

Illinois Invent2Prevent is accepting five schools for the spring 2025 program. It’s accepting 20 for fall 2025. Each participating school will receive a $1,000 grant for students to help create their projects.

Schools interested in participating in this program should contact Illinoisi2p@edventurepartners.com.

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