The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships is sponsoring a student-led event which helps empower university teams to develop and deploy dynamic projects to prevent targeted violence and terrorism.
The Invent2Prevent Virtual Final Competition will be held on Thursday, February 10, 2022 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM EST. The top three Invent2Prevent teams featuring finalists from Howard University in Washington, D.C., Middle Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA, and University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC will present to a panel of distinguished judges who will announce the winners of $9,000 in program awards live.
Howard University’s The Peace Coalition sets out to increase social awareness of domestic terrorism, racial hatred, bias, cultural illiteracy, and targeted violence incidents originating on U.S. soil affecting minority communities of color and other marginalized groups. In its podcast, The Peace Coalition interviews experts and leaders in its podcast to glean a better understanding of the threats as well as considering actions that could prevent and protect. For example, in January The Peace Coalition spoke with the Chief of Staff for the Metropolitan Police Department, Marvin Haiman, about changes that the police are willing to make.
Diverting Hate from the Middle Institute of International Studies aims to reach men and provide support before they embark on a journey of toxic masculinity. The organization has developed a database and network to show up in spaces that are known to pull individuals down dangerous paths of hatred. Diverting Hate presents the opportunity to find belonging in healthier, safer environments through its curated hub of community groups and resources.
The University of South Carolina’s Witz is a comprehensive lesson plan package that works to prevent and protect middle school students in South Carolina from becoming radicalized by white supremacist ideas. Through increasing meme literacy and encouraging responsible social media through mentor education, Witz hopes students will be more likely to report and avoid online bigotry.
The Invent2Prevent initiative also encourages optimizing the sustainability of student projects to continue on beyond the program term.
