Alternatives to Violence Project Los Angeles
What is AVP?
WHO WE ARE
Through an international network of local chapters, the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) offers workshops for those who seek to reduce the level of violence - physical, verbal and emotional - in our society. AVP offers Basic, Advanced, and Training-for-Facilitator Workshops. Those who are new to AVP are required to start at the Basic level. After completing the Basic, participants are welcome to take as many Advanced workshops as they like. The Training for Facilitators workshop is available for those who want to make a deeper commitment.
Basic workshops introduce core concepts in communication, cooperation and conflict transformation skills. Advanced workshops cover a topic chosen by the participants. Past Advanced workshops have covered anger, include All workshops are fast-paced and entirely experiential, weaving together interactive exercises, facilitated discussions, role plays, humor, and games. AVP Los Angeles currently runs workshops in communities and prisons around the Greater Los Angeles area.
HISTORY
The Alternatives to Violence Project began in 1975 at Green Haven prison in New York State. An inmate group, "The Think Tank," was working with incarcerated youth. They wanted to break the cycle of young people entering prison for relatively minor offenses and then returning multiple times for increasingly more serious crimes. The Think Tank sought help from the local Quaker Meeting in creating an experiential workshop focused on developing the mindset and specific skills needed to resolve conflicts without violence. The Alternatives to Violence Project was born.
The initial workshop was so successful that requests came in for more. AVP quickly grew as word spread throughout the system. The program designed for inmates was effective for everyone. Community groups began to seek the training. Workshops were offered in schools, shelters, neighborhood clubs, and worship congregations. Soon AVP spread throughout the United States and the world. AVP International was founded in 2008. Today, AVP conducts workshops in 35 states and over 40 countries.
MISSION
and
PHILOSOPHY
AVP's mission is to build a movement of creative and constructive approaches to conflict resolution through individual and collective transformation. The idea of transforming power - each person's ability to turn interpersonal conflict in a positive direction - is at the heart of AVP's philosophy.
Violence and aggression can be physical, psychological, emotional or verbal. They can make themselves known in our feelings, thoughts and interactions. They are often a major obstacle to communicating effectively with one another. Our experience of violence and aggression can limit our self-esteem, our capacity for joy and our sense of community.
AVP promotes a uniquely effective way of responding to conflict through self-development workshops that are fun and innovative. Each session is an individually empowering experience that provides opportunities for change and is as unique as the individuals who compose it. Building upon participants’ own experiences, workshop exercises provide opportunities for participants to develop skills for enhancing self-esteem, increasing communication, and promoting a sense of community.
AVP workshops develop basic conflict resolution skills. Exercises focus on:
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Affirmation: Building self-esteem and trust.
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Communication: Improving both listening skills and assertive methods of expression.
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Cooperation: Developing cooperative attitudes that avoid competitive conflicts.
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Community Building: Developing mutual support within the group.
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Creative conflict resolution: Opening to the possibility of surprising win-win solutions.