MILWAUKEE — Fifteen young people graduated on Saturday from Milwaukee’s inaugural Junior Violence Interrupters program, led by Breaking Barriers Mentoring Inc.
Over the past nine months, participants met three times a week, learning conflict resolution, peer mediation, and emotional regulation. They also practiced de-escalation techniques through role-play, guest speakers, and field trips.
Ajhani Muab-El, 11, was one of the graduates and was ecstatic to get his certificate.
“It felt really good. Everyone was clapping. It felt amazing,” Muab-El smiled.
Minister Caliph Muab-El, Executive Director of Breaking Barriers Mentoring Inc., founded the program after his own experience in the justice system.
At age 15, he was sentenced to serve 15 years in an adult detention facility. He now focuses on guiding youth out of the cycle of violence.
“We work with high-risk youth in high-risk cycles of violence to interrupt cycles of violence," he said.
This program, adapted from the nationally renowned Chicago-based Violence Interrupters, Inc. curriculum, was developed with support from the City of Milwaukee.
It includes trauma-informed care and “circles of support” to help students manage conflict constructively.
“We become better people and that changes our path and how we do things. Instead of being mean to people, we tell them to stop. It’s not okay,” Ajhani said.
Check out: Breaking the cycle: Milwaukee youth graduate as 'violence interrupters'
Milwaukee Police data shows 332 juveniles were shot and 69 killed between 2022 and 2024.
Youth leaders like Jerome Drake Jr. said the course is already having an impact.
“We’ve noticed a drastic change in everyone’s behavior — participation way up, and now we're looking at changing the narrative inside schools in Milwaukee," he said.
The May 31 graduation ceremony at the Silver Spring Neighborhood Center featured special guest speaker Tio Hardiman, founder of the original Violence Interrupters in Chicago. That city has seen a notable drop in homicides this year, which Hardiman attributes in part to community-based programs like this one.
“If we can touch this next generation, then the world would be a better place from my standpoint,” Hardiman said.
As the first class prepares to take their skills into neighborhoods across Milwaukee, organizers hope to replicate the model citywide.
“A lot of people put a stigma on the children of Milwaukee, but the problem is there’s a lot of complaints but not corrective criticism. The youth are the ones we pass the torch to, but it’s up to us whether that torch is lit or not,” Drake Jr. explained.
Ajhani hopes more youth will see the value of joining:
“It’s a cool thing to have... and not many people have these, so that’s why we gotta get them to have these.”
Minister Muab-El sees it as the start of something bigger:
“Makes me feel promise in generations to come. A lot of people believe youth are too far gone — I don’t believe that.”
If you would like to get involved in Milwaukee, you can visit their website.
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