Peace and Environment News* December 1996-January 1997
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Peace and Environment News * December 1996-January 1997 |
by Susan Roelofs
Standing and holding hands, the eight prisoners and five outside people lean back until it is mostly the support from the circle that keeps everyone upright. Slowly people lower themselves into a squat, and then—much to the surprise of just about everyone—manage to pull themselves back up into a standing position without losing their balance.
This is not some weird new experiment in group manipulation. It's an exercise in trust, part of a conflict resolution program called the Alternatives to Violence Project, which has been around for about twenty years.
The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) focuses on personal nonviolence. Using experiential workshops built around four main themes—affirmation, communication, community building, and creative conflict resolution—a team of facilitators offer their experiences and help guide the group through exercises designed to give practical skills. As participants attest, AVP can be a powerful experience. "Informative," "jarring," and "illuminating" are just some of the comments at the end of one workshop.
While the above scene took place during a weekend Basic Level workshop held recently at the Hull Detention Centre, AVP is active across North America and overseas. The program had its start in Greenhaven Prison in New York State in 1975, created by inmates and Quakers to help under-age offenders. While the aim was initially to deal with the violence of the prison system, AVP has moved from the correctional system into the community as people begin to realize that violence is everywhere. What happens in prison is just a microcosm of our society as a whole.
Most of us are quick to say that we are not violent people, but violence encompasses much more than beating someone up or pulling a knife on them. What about the everyday violence that most of us come into contact with?—being barraged by violent images and messages on the television; yelling at children or partners after coming home from a bad day at work; staying in dysfunctional relationships that don't really feel good but are too scary to leave; or constantly suppressing anger or hurt, thereby turning it in on ourselves.
Those who have never stepped inside a prison tend to think that there is a great gulf separating those incarcerated for crimes from the rest of us. The reality isn't nearly so neat. Everyone throughout their life has to make decisions about how to handle confrontational situations small and large. What we see as alternatives depends on what we learn from society, from our family, from our own self-view and experiences.
AVP's Basic and Second Level workshops give people an opportunity to create alternatives and break old habits. Whether they are in the community or in prison, people have a shared interest in reducing the violence in their lives. A new initiative being piloted in several Canadian cities takes AVP into the school system, so that children can grow up with healthy ways of dealing with difficulties.
Changing long-standing patterns of how we deal with conflict takes time, patience, and practice, but it can be very empowering to discover concrete tools that can be put into use long after a workshop has finished. Peace and nonviolence begin at home. In learning to treat both ourselves and others with caring and respect, we make a start on a bold, new path for our community.
If you'd like to get involved with the Alternatives to Violence Project either as a volunteer or as a workshop participant, call Susan at 230-4590.
Susan Roelofs is a facilitator for the Alternatives to Violence Project.
Converted May 15, 2000 - Lg
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