Building Community Across What Divides Us
Alternatives to Violence is a grassroots, worldwide movement dedicated to building peace in ourselves, our homes, schools, institutions, and communities.
We seek to release everyone’s innate power to positively transform ourselves and in so doing transform the world. Our workshops use shared experiences of participants and facilitators to examine how injustice, prejudice, frustration, and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence.
We explore our innate power to respond in new and creative ways.
History of AVP of OMAHA
Sister Maureen Connolly, SSSF, AKA Marvelous Maureen, served as the Omaha Local Coordinator from 2009 until her passing in 2020.
Her passionate leadership, indomitable spirit and tireless commitment to AVP strengthened our group and served as a guide for over a decade of challenges and celebrations.
Thank you, Marvelous Maureen! We couldn't have done it without you.
Peace be with you.
As a volunteer-based prison program, Omaha AVP facilitators and volunteers promote ways to find the power within all of us to seek a peaceful rather than a violent solution in ourselves and our opponent.
Currently Omaha AVP serves men in the Community Correction Center – Omaha (CCC-O). These men are at the end of their sentences, starting their transition back into their communities,finding jobs and spending more time with families and loved ones.
To aid in this process of reentry into the community, Omaha AVP offers a weekly meeting in CCC-O to discuss topics related to nonviolence, relationships, forgiveness and more. Additionally, we offer monthly community outings to model how to succeed as a returning citizen. All participation is voluntary.
AVP Around The World
AVP Nebraska, serving the Lincoln area, has been active in Lincoln, NE for several decades. It is the sister chapter to Omaha AVP, sharing training, ideas and support.
Like Omaha AVP, AVP Nebraska is an association of community groups and prison-based groups offering experiential workshops in personal growth and creative conflict management.
AVP Nebraska offers basic and advanced workshops on violence. The basic workshops provides the basic "tools" for recognizing and resolving conflict in a nonviolent way. The basic workshops also serve the purpose of creating a community while focusing on affirmation, communication, cooperation, and creative conflict resolution.
You can learn more about the Lincoln chapter through their website and Facebook page.
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There are active AVP chapters in 33 states. Venues are diverse: Prisons and jails, churches and businesses, homeless and family shelters, youth clubs and alternative schools.
AVP-USA is the parent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under which United States Alternative to Violence Project local chapters belong and find guidance and leadership.
AVP USA maintains a list of upcoming in-person and online workshops across the nation. Contact them to find an opportunity near you.
An Annual AVP Gathering is held over Memorial Day weekend in rotating venues to bring together facilitators from around the country and/or world to share ideas, find mutual support and join together in setting a future course for AVP-USA as a collective organization.
Alternatives to Violence Project International, Inc. (AVP International) is an umbrella organization that provides an infrastructure to support AVP programs and facilitators around the world. Through AVP International, AVP facilitators from 6 continents can share tips and techniques, AVP training, collaborative conversations and much more. AVP-USA falls under the AVP International umbrella.