Our Mission

To empower people to lead nonviolent lives through affirmation, respect for all, community building, cooperation, and trust. 

Founded in and developed from the real life experiences of prisoners and others, and building on a spiritual base, AVP encourages every person's innate power to positively transform themselves and the world.

AVP/NE

We are an association of community based groups and prison based groups offering experiential workshops in personal growth and creative conflict management. AVP/NE encompasses the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, providing support for the work of these chapters. We liaison between AVP-USA and the New England states in order to facilitate local growth of AVP through communication and networking.

AVP is a nationwide and worldwide association of volunteer groups offering experiential workshops in conflict resolution, responses to violence, and personal growth.

AVP is dedicated to reducing the level of violence in our society. Our goal is to reduce the level of violence by introducing people to ways of resolving conflict that reduce their need to resort to violence as the solution. The Alternatives to Violence Project is designed to create successful personal interactions and transform violent situations. We're dedicated to teaching the same non-violent skills and techniques that were used by Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We do our training where violence is found. Our workshops target prisons, communities, and schools.

Volunteering 

If you would like to participate in an AVP workshop in any of the New England states, send an e-mail to one of the AVP/NE officers or to the coordinator for the facility where a workshop is being held. To complete the AVP training and become a facilitator, a person must participate in the Basic, Advanced, and Training for Facilitators weekend workshops and then serve as an apprentice co-facilitator in an actual workshop. Here is a brief description of each type of workshop:

Basic workshop: Focuses on primary conflict resolution skills. Step-by-step experiences and exercises focus on affirmation, communication, cooperation, and creative conflict resolution. 

Advanced workshop: Allows a deeper look at aspects of violence, such as stereotyping, power, fear, and anger. The workshop builds upon our collective experience in communication, cooperation, and problem solving. Consensus is presented as a deciscion making process.

Training for Facilitators: Focuses on team building and leadership skills. The curriculum includes group process skills, team leadership methods, and hands-on experience.