Our Approach
We believe that the experience of violence or abuse undermines self-respect and self-esteem, which in turn puts people at a significant disadvantage in their dealings with others in society. Apart from interactions with one’s immediate social circle (family, friends, and neighbours), this also includes interactions with potential employers and official agencies such as health, housing, benefits, and education, thus perpetuating feelings of frustration, isolation, and/or hopelessness. Therefore, by improving participants’ self-esteem, self-awareness, and ability to approach conflict peacefully, entire communities can thrive – together.
Through a range of exercises, discussions, games, and role-playing, workshop participants learn to create and maintain an environment where five core conditions of non-violence can exist:
- Improved self-awareness, leading to increased self-esteem;
- Enhanced communication skills, including listening skills and assertiveness;
- Greater cooperation readiness and willingness to trust others;
- Stronger sense of one’s own values;
- Enhanced conflict-diffusion and problem-solving skills to address tense situations peacefully when they arise.
Our facilitators use a range of interactive exercises that help participants learn how to handle strong feelings like anger whilst also recognising conflict warning signs and their own individual triggers.
Participants explore who they are as persons and learn how to transform negative and harmful thought and action patterns into positive ones. By tapping into their inner strengths, we empower participants to play an active and decisive role in how they perceive life and other people, and in turn how others perceive them.
Our distance learning courses are designed to reflect the content of typical AVP workshops, for those who are unable to attend in person or remotely.
Where Do Participants Come From?
Participants are drawn from all walks of life. What links them is the desire to make changes in the way they handle conflict. They attend for different reasons:
- They may be experiencing difficulties in their relationships
- They may have experienced violence and hate crime
- They may have a difficult job in the care and health industries
- They may have been referred by a social worker or probation officer
- They may have heard about AVP from their GP
- They may wish to make changes in their lives, for example, after the breakdown in a relationship or following release from prison
- They may wish to understand more about how they respond to conflict and to explore ways of changing old habits
No matter who you are, where you’ve come from, or where you want to be – there is room for you on our workshops
How we help?
We run workshops in the community and in prisons to help people to face up to conflict in their lives. To maximize accessibility our ‘Facing Up to Conflict’ courses, at Level 1 (introductory) and Level 2, are now offered in three main formats:
- In-person: a 16-hour intensive group workshop delivered over a two/three-day weekend (or to suit specific groups e.g. as five or six 3-hour sessions over 3-6 weeks)
- Online: a 16-hour remote workshop run with a group of participants over 5 or 6 weekly sessions
- Distance Learning: a 6-week individual course which can be received by (e)mail
- In addition, ‘Tackling Conflict‘ offers professionals an insight into the AVP approach and ideas as a self-paced distance learning programme delivered online
The flexible delivery patterns developed in response to the pandemic have been incorporated into our regular way of working and this year we have also worked on providing more support for those who need it. In particular, in the distance learning programme we developed one to one support via zoom for people with extra learning challenges as well as a high accessibility version of the course materials, to make it more user friendly for anyone with difficulties in reading or writing.
Workshops are delivered in communities and prisons across the UK by AVP’s network of skilled and dedicated volunteers. Our distance learning course is similarly managed by trained volunteer assessors who regularly meet to develop evaluation standards.
