As used in this Act:
     “Approved technical assistance and training provider” means an organization that has experience in improving the outcomes of local community-based organizations by providing supportive services that address the gaps in their resources and knowledge about content-based work or provide support and knowledge about the administration and management of organizations, or both. Approved technical assistance and training providers as defined in this Act are intended to assist community organizations with evaluating the need for evidence-based violence prevention services, promising violence prevention programs, starting up programming, and strengthening the quality of existing programming.
     “Community” or “communities” means, for municipalities with a 1,000,000 or more population in Illinois, the 77 designated neighborhood areas defined by the University of Chicago Social Science Research Committee as amended in 1980.
     “Concentrated firearm violence” means the 10 most violent communities in Illinois municipalities with 1,000,000 or more residents and the 10 most violent municipalities with less than 1,000,000 residents and greater than 35,000 residents with the most per capita fatal and nonfatal firearm-shot victims, excluding self-inflicted incidents, from January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2020.
     “Credible messenger” means an individual who has been arrested, indicted, convicted, adjudicated delinquent, or otherwise detained by criminal or juvenile justice authorities for violation of State criminal law and has successfully reached the end of the individual’s sentence or the final termination of the individual’s term of commitment and has relationships in a specific community that can promote conflict resolution and healing.
     “Criminal and juvenile justice-involved” means an individual who has been arrested, indicted, convicted, adjudicated delinquent, or otherwise detained by criminal or juvenile justice authorities for violation of Illinois criminal laws.
     “Evidence-based high-risk youth intervention services” means programs that have been proven to reduce involvement in the criminal or juvenile justice system, increase school attendance, and includes referrals of high-risk teens into therapeutic programs that address trauma recovery and other mental health improvements based on best practices in the youth intervention services field.
     “Evidence-based violence prevention services” means coordinated programming and services that may include, but are not limited to, effective emotional or trauma related therapies, housing, employment training, job placement, family engagement, or wrap-around support services that have been proven effective or are considered to be best practice for reducing violence within the field of violence intervention research and practice.
     “Evidence-based youth development programs” means after-school and summer programming that provides services to teens to increase their school attendance, school performance, reduce involvement in the criminal justice system, and develop nonacademic interests that build social emotional persistence and intelligence based on best practices in the field of youth development services for high-risk youth.
     “Options school” means a secondary school where 75% or more of attending students have either stopped attending or failed their secondary school courses since first attending ninth grade.
     “Violence prevention organization” means an organization that manages and employs qualified violence prevention professionals.
     “Violence prevention professional” means a community health worker who renders violence preventive services.
     “Social organization” means an organization of individuals who form the organization for the purposes of enjoyment, work, and other mutual interests.