Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP)

The Alternatives to Violence Project is a network of skilled volunteers who run workshops for anyone who wants to find ways of resolving conflict without resorting to violence. It works in the community and in prisons. History AVP began in 1975 in a New York prison when the inmates asked local Quakers to help them to devise a programme to support young prisoners to resolve conflict non-violently. The programme spread quickly to other prisons and to the wider community. Workshops are now offered in a variety of community and residential settings in over 50 countries. They run in a range of settings including in refugee camps in Kenya, prisons in the United States and in schools in Australia. In 1989 the programme came to Britain. It began as a Quaker-led group but gained independence as AVPBritain in 1997. The low-cost workshops are run in prisons and in the community and there is a six-week distance learning course called ‘Facing up to Conflict’ for use in prisons. Vision and Missin AVP Britain’s vision is a non-violent society. Its mission is to support people, particularly those in hardship, to learn how to handle conflict, resist violence and build stronger relationships.