We had the good fortune of connecting with The Cincinnati Peace-Movement and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi The Cincinnati, how does your business help the community?
The entire intention for Cincy Peace was for it to be a social enterprise, meaning it is a for profit business but we put our social impact ahead of capital gain. So just with that alone we knew the way we went about our business would set us aside from a lot of for profit and non-profit entities. And as we amerced ourselves in the community not only did our business grow but so did our social impact; it started with community clean-ups where we coined the term “street sweeps”. That started off with just four people who wanted to do something positive and by the end of it we had whole communities outside in the heat or in the cold- happy to make their neighborhoods look beautiful. Even the opening of our brick and mortar store “Build the Block” was an inspiration for local artists and entrepreneurs to bet on themselves and go after their purpose in life. We literally helped build individuals within our network to be their best self and it also helped build impactful relationships within the community.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At the current moment we are fully engaged with our I Can literacy program and we are super excited about it! The I Can literacy program strives to teach young people about the impact of their decision making and to take a deeper look at the company they keep. This conversation continues into feedback around youth anti-violence and more. We take high school students who want to be mentors and we pair them with a neighboring elementary school to help with academic activities.
In addition to this we provide classroom management training for the high school students, exposure through field trips and community projects that really drive home how powerful they are even at a young age. There have been some challenges but for the most part we have learned to work through them and show up anyway. The work we’re continuing to do is partly due to us being awarded the Black Empowerment Works grant through United Way of Greater Cincinnati and we’re excited to have expanded our program to two new schools this year!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Cincinnati has some really beautiful parks so I would take them to see Eden, The Banks, Mt. Echo, Mt. Storm, and Bellvue. And whenever you’re in the city on a weekend you have to stop by findlay market, where theres always something to do and so many places to eat. As far as activities goes theres always something going on at the square or if you’re into live music Nostalgia usually has a band on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you’re someone who’s into art and culture going to the Cincinnati Art Museum or the CAC is always a good idea. Also never be afraid to cross the bridge to catch a movie at Newport on the levee! Theres so many places to go to have a good time it really just depend on what you’re into.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We’d like to give a shoutout to every individual who has ever supported us if thats liking a post or showing up to an event or collaborating with us or registering your child to be a part of our programing; we wouldn’t be here if not for your support so thank you! To all the coaches, program coordinators, uncles and aunties who played a role in the village that raised us we want to give a shoutout to you because the principals you taught us are what carries us through the work that we are doing today. And last but not least, our parents: Cameron, Nonnie, Auntie Dot, Deshon and Daphanie we love you beyond words after all these years your hard work and sacrifice has paid off, shout out to you!

Website: https://cincypeace-movement.com

Instagram: Cincypeace_513

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/cincypeace513/

Image Credits
Photo credits to Brandon Issacs

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