Jan -> Dec 2022
Jan -> Dec 2019
The Covid pandemic was major hit to all AVP programs.
COVID has driven a hole through AVP. Programs came to a halt, and some of our beloved partners have left. Prison programs were especially affected as most prisons shut down all programs completely, and post-pandemic are now facing serious staffing problems. Some states report no workshops yet but some have AVP activity, usually among community workshops. Some states actually got going in 2022, and others have made some steps. There are definitely signs of coming back.
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What is the AVP Program?
It is an experiential program, helping people change their lives….
It is a community program, offering a new approach for community groups, businesses, social service agencies, youth organizations and all who would like to participate…
It is a prison program, helping inmates learn new skills and attitudes that lead to fulfilling and crime-free lives…
It is a program for everybody. Though founded by Quakers based on their belief in an inborn power for peace in everyone, it draws its participants and its trainers from all religious, races and walks of life…
An AVP workshop seeks to assist people in personal growth and change. AVP is not psychotherapy. It is an intensive learning experience, offering three-day workshops on three levels:
The AVP Basic Workshop
The Basic AVP Workshop is an intensive, three-day learning experience which teaches interpersonal conflict resolution skills through a series of step-by-step processes. These experiences in small groups and one-to-one interactions build a sense of community and trust through exercises focusing on:
- Affirmation — Building self esteem and trust.
- Communication — Improving both listening skills and assertive methods of expression.
- Cooperation — Developing cooperative attitudes that avoid competitive conflicts.
- Creative Conflict Resolution — Getting in touch with the inner Transforming Power to resolve violence. Role plays provide an opportunity to explore this power and learn new and creative ways to respond to real life conflicts in our lives.
AVP workshops seek to assist people in personal growth and change, but AVP is not psychotherapy. We join together, participants and facilitators both, to explore our own corners of violence and seek more satisfying ways to respond. Each workshop is generally 12 – 20 participants to facilitate discussion.
The AVP Advanced Workshop
The Advanced AVP workshop focuses on the underlying causes of violence, both in ourselves and in the world we live in. It is designed to give participants opportunities to rebuild community, review in depth the concept of Transforming Power and proceed to set individual and group goals for the focus of the remainder of the workshop. (Prerequisite: Completion of Basic Workshop)
Such a focus topic might be:
- Fear — Reveals the hidden fears that usually underlie anger, jealousy and prejudice.
- Anger — Results in a deeper understanding of the personal situations that trigger anger.
- Power — (And powerlessness) Helps individuals understand power structures and get in touch with their inner power.
- Communication — Develops the skills and the ability to communicate in tense and stressful situations.
- Forgiveness — Builds the groundwork for true reconciliation and freedom from guilt.
- Bias Awareness — Builds awareness of stereotyping, bias and prejudice in personal relations.
- Racial Justice — Exploring the challenges people of color face.
- Man-woman relationships — Explores issues of fear, anger, power and powerlessness.
- Manly Awareness — What is it to be a man?
- Re-entry — Addressing the difficult transition from prison to community.
- And others — Whatever the group finds most compelling.
The AVP Training for Facilitators Workshop
TO BECOME AN AVP FACILITATOR…
Begin by completing the Basic and Advanced AVP Workshops. If you find that this is an experience you would like to share and you would like to become an AVP facilitator, take the Training for Facilitators Workshop. This workshop is reserved for those who expect to be active volunteer facilitators in community &/or prison workshops.
This workshop focuses on developing team building, leadership methods, and group process skills. You will work in a small group, actually functioning as a facilitator. You will receive guidance and practice in facilitating all parts of a Basic Workshop:
- Team Building & Team Contract
- Agendas
- Exercises, brainstorms, and discussions
- Transforming Power Talk (key AVP philosophy
- Light & Livelies (Change-of-pace & mood games/activities)
- Role Plays
As the last step in the training, you will apprentice with workshop leadership teams in other Mini, Basic or Advanced AVP Workshops.
Correctional officers are invited to become trainers and lead community workshops. However, it is AVP policy not to use correctional officers as leaders of prison workshops.
Prerequisite: Completion of Basic and Advanced Workshops,