Susannah says she is getting involved with the workshop, called the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), because one of her goals is to work towards building peace. "I decided I had to start with myself," she says. "So that I could understand where some of these things, like violent tendencies, can come from, before I work with other people in that area."

Over the course of the three-day workshop, people work in groups on several main areas of activity including: building self-esteem and trust, improving both their listening skills and assertive methods of expression, and getting in touch with their inner 'transforming power' to resolve violence.

Ruth Hillman, a volunteer program facilitator for the Peterborough area, explains transforming power.

"What our program does is convince people that they have the resources within themselves to solve problems, to handle difficulties and conflict," says Ruth.

The qualities of transforming power include respect for self, caring for others, thinking before reacting, expecting the best, and asking for a nonviolent solution.

AVP was first started in 1975 when some New York prisoners invited a group of Quakers to teach them how to 'deter' youth from prison. AVP teaches the same non-violent skills and techniques that were used by Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The workshop on alternatives to violence will be held November 22-24 in Peterborough. Anyone interested in attending, contact Susannah at 745-1274 or susannahcole71@hotmail.com.

Anyone interested in organizing a future workshop for community-members or students, contact Ruth at 742-1307.

Send this page to a friend

Articles may be reprinted with permission. Contact us at peaceful@newsroom5.com or 1-800-294-0051