by Lisa Oelschlegel
This year, the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) marked its 50th anniversary with an international gathering in New York, bringing together hundreds of facilitators from around the world to celebrate and commemorate our shared journey and look towards the future.
AVP is a grassroots movement active in more than 60 countries, including Ireland, where it has been running for over 30 years. In Ireland, we deliver transformative, experiential workshops across 11 prisons. Each workshop is co-facilitated by trained incarcerated facilitators alongside volunteers from the wider community. Together, we create spaces of genuine human connection, spaces where a sense of belonging can take root and where moments of real change emerge, often quietly and unexpectedly. Our workshops help participants develop conflict transformation skills and tools to build healthy, trusting relationships. They foster collaboration, open dialogue, and a shared commitment to non-violence.
In May, our long-standing AVP facilitators Claire, Donna, and AVP co-founder Jenny travelled across the Atlantic to represent AVP Ireland, carrying with them the voices, creativity, and contributions of many others who could not attend in person but who have been integral to this journey for many years.
At the gathering, they shared stories, artwork, and poetry created by incarcerated facilitators in Ireland – powerful glimpses of what AVP means to those whose lives it has touched. They also reflected on recent developments in Ireland, including work on community building, consensus-based decision-making, and nurturing strong relationships through open communication. Claire and Donna led a particularly impactful breakout session on AVP workshops that explored the links between gender and violence, sparking rich discussions about gender, identity, power, and personal transformation.
The international gathering was moving in ways that are hard to put into words: breakout sessions, stories of change, cultural exchanges, and a visit to Green Haven Prison, where AVP first began in 1975. One participant summed it up beautifully: “We all felt it—whether separated by distance or by walls, we are one family.”
We also learnt about how outside of Ireland, AVP has found its way into many other places too: schools, refugee camps, and community centres around the world. The New York event was not only a moment to reflect on the past and present, but also an opportunity to look forward: expanding youth engagement, strengthening trauma-informed practices, supporting prison re-entry programmes, and reimagining how AVP shares its message more widely. Whether through work with young people, in prisons, in communities, or with those returning from prison, AVP continues to grow in relevance, reach, and hope.
If you would like to learn more about AVP or become part of this journey, we would love to hear from you!
Website: www.avpireland.ie
Email: info@avpireland.ie
Follow us: Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
– The INNATE photo album on AVP is at https://www.flickr.com/photos/innateireland/albums/72157645765804171/