Invent2Prevent (I2P), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), empowers high school and university students to design and implement initiatives that increase the safety and resilience of their local communities. The program acknowledges that youth have a critical and unique outlook on how to address targeted violence and terrorism.
At the event finals each semester, the top three university and high school teams compete in front of panels of judges from academia, education, and the government, as well as I2P student alumni, to receive funding to advance their projects. Students from 53 universities and high schools created initiatives to protect their local communities and campuses at the most recent competition.
Since I2P began in 2021, more than 1,200 students have participated, representing 119 universities across 33 states and the District of Columbia, along with 138 high schools from 26 states.
Increasing Impact Through Grants
Several I2P university finalists have been able to bolster their projects’ impact by applying for the DHS CP3 Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant.
Through the TVTP Grant Program, CP3 provides funding for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments; nonprofits; and institutions of higher education to amplify their capacities to prevent targeted violence and terrorism. To date, I2P teams have secured more than $2.6 million in funding to support their community-based programs.
I2P TVTP Grant recipients include:
D.U.C.C. (Developing and Using Critical Comprehension)
American University, Washington, District of Columbia
Spring 2022 Cohort
D.U.C.C. is an educational tool that equips students with the critical thinking and emotional intelligence skills needed to identify dangerous behaviors online. The program cultivates critical thinking skills through a comprehensive approach. Students, parents, and teachers can access the program through an online hub.
After winning the Invent2Prevent Competition, D.U.C.C. won a FY23 TVTP Grant to further their work. During the two-year grant period, the D.U.C.C. project will create multimedia educational materials focused on teaching children in grades K-5 how to recognize violent online content. The materials will comprise lesson plans, exercises, reflections, videos, and video games. The project will end with the distribution and promotion of the D.U.C.C. materials to support educational institutions.
BeS.E.E.N.N. (Be Students Encouraging & Empowering Native Nations)
University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Spring 2022 Cohort
BeS.E.E.N.N. is an educational program and movement that assesses how issues of invisibility can lead to hate groups targeting Native Americans with violence. The program educates users about Native Americans and their cultures to lessen the perpetuation of stereotypes, racism, and targeted violence.
BeS.E.E.N.N. won a FY23 TVTP grant to continue the program. Over the two-year grant period, BeS.E.E.N.N. will create a new cultural module that provides additional education about Indigenous cultures. The free online module will raise awareness of targeted violence and gather information on participants’ perceptions and intended actions regarding race. BeS.E.E.N.N. hopes to increase understanding of Indigenous cultures and promote conversations about peace and nonviolence.
Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California
Fall 2021 Cohort
Diverting Hate uses network analysis and a database of known misogynistic terms and profiles to prevent individuals from moving down pathways to violence and to support resilience-building tactics. The Diverting Hate website also includes community groups focused on well-being, sense of belonging, and community. In partnership with researchers and professors from the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, Diverting Hate works with emerging experts in the fields of domestic radicalization, translation, multimodal discourse analysis, social data science, and violence prevention through a graduate fellowship program.
Diverting Hate won a FY22 TVTP grant program through Arizona State University to advance its initiative. With the grant, the program contributed to the theoretical understanding of the involuntary celibate ideology by individuals who embrace violence because they feel they are denied romantic or sexual attention. Diverting Hate shared these results with practitioners, researchers, academics, and the broader targeted prevention community.
Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois
Spring 2021 Cohort
Project H2i aims to foster critical thinking and teach kids to identify questionable media sources, verify news and claims before sharing, and stop the spread of dangerous falsehoods online. It works with students in grades six through eight across the state of Illinois. H2i uses the call to action “Verify B4 U Amplify!” to inspire students to verify information in a meme, post, picture, or story. The initiative also provides additional resource materials for students and educators.
H2i won a FY22 TVTP grant to continue the program. Over the two-year period, the program developed an H2i Educators Toolkit to support critical thinking training in classrooms, provided training for educators in locations throughout Illinois and online, and maintained and improved the H2i website, including regularly reevaluating materials and resources. The H2i team also created an educational platform to increase media literacy and online critical thinking initiatives for educators, concerned adults, and students.
Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri
Spring 2021 Cohort
FUSE works to prevent and protect against people committing an act of violence by focusing on education, bystander empowerment, and community support. The program aims to strengthen protective factors against violence through an informational podcast, online training toolkit, and conversational card game. These initiatives encourage university students to engage in meaningful conversations on difficult topics and form connections with peers. FUSE counters the “us vs. them” mentality by providing tools for individuals to identify and minimize their biases and raise awareness of “othering” tendencies.
During their I2P semester, FUSE won a FY21 TVTP grant to continue the project long-term. TVTP funding allowed FUSE to create more online and in-person training resources designed to build critical thinking. The program also continues to provide tools to become informed and engaged bystanders.
Interested in having your school participate in a future competition to prevent targeted violence, terrorism, and hate crimes? Stay tuned for more information on the next I2P round anticipated to begin in fall of 2024: https://www.dhs.gov/invent2prevent
References herein to non-governmental organizations are for informational purposes only. References do not constitute an official endorsement of the organization or project, its work, or its product or services by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or Federal Government.