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Winter Newsletter June 2014
Alternatives to Violence Project Queensland
President’s Report Welcome to AVPQ’s Winter Newsletter, and our first newsletter for the year. I hope I’m not alone in exclaiming ‘Where has the year gone?’ As always AVPQ has been very busy since our last newsletter in Spring 2013, so there is quite a bit fit into this edition. We have had out Annual General Meeting with some enlightening guest speakers and also a couple of changes to the AVPQ Management Committee and Team. In January we had an excellent turnout for The Alternatives to Violence Project Asia West Pacific Regional Gathering held at the stunning Theosophical Society Retreat in tranquil Springbrook.
Workshops have been continuing with our first set of three workshops already complete in Southern Queensland Correctional Centre. We have already held our first Social Event for the year and have a number of others planned. Judith has finished her tenure as our Workshop Coordinator handing over the Yasmin. We also welcome baby Brian to the AVPQ community after AVP facilitator Susan gave birth in January 2014.
Thank you Jude! I want to take the opportunity to thank Judith Pembleton for her years of service to the role of Workshop Coordinator with AVPQ. Jude has worked tirelessly in this role doing much of the heavy lifting within the organisation – most notably organizing and running our community workshops. As anyone who has done this role can attest, this can be a mammoth task and requires someone with energy, persistence and compassion – Jude certainly fits the bill! Jude likes to go out with a bang so her final feat was to organize the Regional Gathering in January this year – anyone who was there will know just how well organized it was! Jude will continue to be involved with AVPQ as a supporter and workshop facilitator. Jude will also be devoting more of her time to her counselling work and also to her grandchildren.
Richard, President AVPQ
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AVP International Gathering 2014 – Dublin, Ireland 13-‐19 July 2014 Dublin is to host the next AVP International Gathering. The programme is being developed as we speak, yet we already know that there may be representatives from AVP groups in 34 countries. All participants will be accommodated on site in Maynooth Universit Campus. Regions will meet, and there will be plenty of opportunities for skills building and sharing. One day of the Gahtering will be hosted by AVP colleagues conducting workshops in Wheatfield Prison. Pre-‐gathering workshops include: -‐ Discernment -‐ Healing and Rebuilding Our Communities (HROC) -‐ Dealing with behaviour challenges in AVP youth
workshops -‐ Exploring Restorative Practices -‐ Trauma Resiliency
AVP IN THE NEWS Article on AVP in Nairobi Slums Mathare to host peace meeting (Lynet Igadwah, Nairobi News) Mathare area will tomorrow host a forum that seeks to foster peaceful coexistence among residents. The area is one of the most volatile in the country with the latest incident occurring a year ago where residents clashed following a Supreme Court ruling on the presidential election petition. The workshop is organized by the Alternatives to Violence Project, and seeks to educate locals on dealing with violent situation. AVP Trust Coordinator Mres Wambui Nguyo said their idea is to have both the victims and perpetrators of violence in one room to share their experiences. “The select 20 participants will be awarded certificates at the end of the three day course. We want them to be ambassadors to teach residents on living harmoniously,” she said. Emily Schwartz, AVP Trust Facilitator said the biggest challenge is convincing residents to attend because they expect monetary rewards. “We are unfortunate because those NGOs that went to the area before us gave residents handouts. Our aim is to instill peace and reconciliation among slum residents,” she added. She said that lessons at the workshop are more psychological and mental with the aim of impacting on physical behaviour in the long run. “This is a person process that eventually brings about positive change in the entire community,” said Ms Schwartz adding that so far the response has been good, with those already trained requesting more sessions.
NEWS FROM AROUND AUSTRALIA Research on the AVP Youth Programme in WA As you may be aware, Olwyn Maddock has run the AVP Youth Programme in Perth-‐based Warnbro Community High School for the past seven years. Olwyn, Anna Alderson and Rosemary Cent have just received approval from the Department of Education to undertake a six month evaluation of the AVP Programme in the South metro region. They hope to publish some preliminary results at the International Gathering.
The research will start with qualitative analysis and then move on to quantitative analysis. The goal is to assess the AVP Youth Programme within the framework of CASEL, a meta-‐framework to assess social and emotional learning, measuring most significant change. A survey will be developed and conducted upon return from Ireland. To read more about CASEL go to www.casel.org and stay tuned for the outcome of the research.
AVP in the Philippines AVP in the Philippines: Last year with the help of Terry Pinnell, Valerie Joy and generous donations from AVPQ for equipment and facilitator’s travel, the first ever AVP workshops were held in the beautiful island of Bohol, south of Manila. An enthusiastic bunch of new facilitators ran their first AVP Basic trainings this April. They would like to invite one or two others to visit this October, to take on the Advanced and T4F Courses. The Philippines whilst beautiful, is a very poor country with corruption and violence throughout. Visions expressed by the local AVP group are to take this training into places of intercultural tension, bringing peace in these areas of conflict. If you are interested in being part of this visit, please contact Valerie on [email protected]
Donations to AVPQ As tax time approaches some of you may wish to consider making a donation to AVPQ. Whilst volunteers conduct all of AVPQ’s work, there are items such as insurance, accommodation, promotional and workshop resources (food, stationary, venues and transport) for which AVPQ relies on donations. If you value the work of AVPQ in reducing violence in all its forms in our society, please be generous and make your donations out to ALTERNATIVES TO VIOLENCE PROJECT QUEENSLAND INC. and send them to:
Secretary AVPQ PO Box 78
SHERWOOD QLD 4075 Remember all donations over $2 are tax deductible and will make a huge difference to AVPQ’s ability to influence peace and cooperation in Queensland.
AVP Asia West Pacific Regional Gathering 2014 The RG14 was hosted by AVPQ and held in Sprinbrook on the Gold Coast Hinterland. Representatives were present from most Australian states and shared a variety of skills and experiences. During the Gathering we experienced and reviewed new activities and worked on best practice. We also explored: difficulties and challenges in AVP; training and sustaining competence; improvisation techniques; Transforming Power; marketing and publicity, and AVP workshops with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, refugees
and young people. We have received an introduction to the new facilitators training manual and spent time on continuing learning and development. We also took the opportunity to hear about AVP and affiliated groups from around the world. It was a rich meeting in a beautiful environment and we thanks Jude for organizing the gathering and all those who assisted with transport and with facilitating sessions. Stay tuned for the official RG14 report.
‘I’m Hooked’ – First Round of Prison Workshops for 2014 Marian, Heather and I put on a complete set of workshops at three levels in South Queensland Correctional Centre (SQCC) at Gatton, in January, March and May this year, the same cohort (with a few changes) through all three. They were a challenge – noisy, boisterous, fun loving, disruptive and laughing – but also able to go very deep into the issues they are dealing with. The core group had known each other for a long time (“we been together since juvie!”) so community building was more for our benefit than theirs. We started the year with inside facilitators that we knew well, but lost them later (released, studying, just ‘moved on’). For the last workshops, we had one new facilitator, with a friend to support him. In fact, the supporter turned out to be an effective facilitator as well. I also came to better understand the dilemma for inside facilitators. With AVP workshops, they steer a tight course between being ‘one of the guys’ (and living with them full time after the workshop), and also taking on a leadership role. Outside facilitators’ expectations of leadership can be a big ask. Prison administration can be a mystery for outsiders. However, our relations with the prison ThroughCare office are excellent. By the third workshop, there were no hitches for participants getting to the education centre, and organising the planning meeting with the inside facilitator was easy. However… the prison was still in the settling-‐in period for Queensland’s new tobacco-‐free policy. A few days before, there had been a non-‐violent protest in the yard and on the roof (‘a riot’ said the Courier Mail). The result of the protest was that several of our participants got transferred out of SQCC, and our facilitator was caught in a lockdown and missed the first day. So the group was smaller, and our well laid plans … well, we’re flexible. AVP touched something real for most of this group, and they responded from deep down, despite the boisterousness. We were touched by their honest, caring response. Life in jail is about not showing vulnerability, but we saw people speaking honestly and openly about painful matters, and being supported by their mates. For those who choose to spend a weekend on an AVP workshop, this can be a turning point to a new way of looking at themselves. At the end of each weekend I feel grateful for the privilege of their company. Duncan, AVPQ Facilitator
AVP Social Evenings Did you know AVPQ holds social evenings? Most recently we met at AVPQ Vice President Valerie’s house. Here’s a photo of a few of us enjoying ourselves. Make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook page to see the details for the next social gathering. ‘Like’ us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/avpqinc
AVP-‐ Added Value Parenting I am relatively new to this parenting thing! And whilst I now have at least 3 years experience under my belt, I am all too aware of how much more learning I have ahead of me. When I first started AVP, I was in my early 20’s and motivated by the professional development opportunity to work with young people through HIPP. Looking back now, I didn’t realise quite how much of an impact on my personal development AVP would really have. Now as a sleep deprived parent to an active 1 year old and a ‘Threenager’ (3yr old going on teenager!) I am very appreciative of just how much I have gained from AVP. So what is it that I have learned?
• That this parenting thing is a really hard gig and that I am grateful that I have had some knowledge and experience from AVP to help me along the way;
• That even knowing SOME stuff, there are times I still don’t get it right. Especially on those days when I’ve been undergoing sleep deprivation training for extended periods!!! And that modeling sorry and making amends is just as powerful as getting it right in the first place;
• That little people are always watching and listening, so it is never too late to introduce them to the messages and tools of AVP;
• That reflecting on the values and beliefs that I was raised on was a powerful tool in shaping how I want to parent and the values and beliefs I would like to pass on;
• That the way I view conflict has an impact on how my children will see, experience and respond to conflict in their lives; AND
• That I am incredibly grateful for the wisdom of the AVP founders for the creation of a simple yet sophisticated set of tools in the Mandala that I know will help me along this journey of parenthood. It is only the beginning… I’m Expecting the Best!!
Courtney, AVPQ Facilitator
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/avpqinc
in order to stay up to date with AVPQ’s upcoming activities and opportunities to be involved, as well as participating in discussion about issues relevant to our
work.
