The Alternatives to Violence Project [AVP] North Carolina
What is AVP?
The Alternatives to Violence Project offers three-day full immersion experiential workshops that enable people to lead more enriching and fulfilling peaceful lives through attitude change and personal transformation. AVP provides the experience and interpersonal communication tools to prevent, resolve and heal inter-personal and intra-personal conflict through increased self-awareness, empathy and personal responsibility. AVP has proven results with a variety of groups in diverse settings such as: schools [teachers and students], organizations, governmental agencies, corrections [staff and inmates], refugee camps, post-civil war and genocide communities, veterans, and with street gangs. The efficacy of the AVP methodology is consistent with current brain research, specifically neuroplasticity. There are current programs in 37 states and the Virgin Islands, 98 prisons and in 55 countries worldwide.
A core element of AVP is the concept of Transforming Power: TP is simply tapping into what is eternal, that part of ourselves, our souls, that connect us and brings us into "beloved community" where we can truly be who we are meant to be and not who we had to be in order to survive because of circumstances or others' expectations.
Our History:
The AVP program began in 1975 when a group of inmates at Green Haven Prison (NY) was working with youth coming into conflict with the law (yes--gangs existed even then). They collaborated with the Quaker Project on Community Conflict, devising a prison workshop. The success of this workshop quickly generated requests for more, and AVP was born. The program quickly spread to many other prisons.
As the program spread, it became obvious that violence and the need for this training exists just as much outside prison walls as within, and that everyone in all walks of life and circumstances is exposed to and participates in some way in violence -- be it physical or emotional, verbal, etc.
In addition to prison workshops in the US, workshops are now offered extensively in communities and schools. Workshops have been held for businesses, churches, community associations, street gangs, halfway houses, women's shelters, and in many other settings. There are currently almost 2000 volunteer AVP facilitators in the US. Last year, over 1,000 workshops with 15,000 participants were conducted in the US alone, and there were hundreds of workshops worldwide in Canada Mexico; England Ireland; Eastern Western Europe; New Zealand Australia; Central South America and the Caribbean; Israel, Palestine Jordan; Russia; Africa (12 countries); India Indonesia; Hong Kong, Singapore Japan; and Nepal.
AVP in North Carolina:
AVP has begun in North Carolina with workshops in the eastern part of the state and at Guilford College. There are experienced lead facilitators in the east and triangle areas offering to provide community workshops to train facilitators. Once the community facilitator base has been developed, workshops can be offered throughout the state and in our prisons. Department of Correction leadership is aware of AVP and is interested in establishing AVP in our prisons and community corrections.
North Carolina Contacts: Related Websites:
John A. Shuford: 302-222-1996 [Triangle Area] www.avpusa.org
Deborah L. Bromiley: 215-630-8594 [Triangle Area] www.avp.international.org
Rubye Braye: [Wilmington area]
Email: