AVP Ireland

AVP Ireland AVP is an international voluntary movement based on empowering people to lead nonviolent lives.

The Alternatives to Violence Project is an international voluntary movement which organises workshops empowering people to lead nonviolent lives, based on respecting and caring for ourselves and others. AVP began in 1975 in a New York prison at the request of long-term prisoners. The workshop was a huge success and the programme quickly spread to other prisons. It became obvious that everyone in a

ll walks of life and circumstances are exposed to and/or participates in some form of violence. And therefore, the importance of AVP programme and workshops became even more evident. AVP has now spread to over 50 countries, including New Zealand, Costa Rica, Israel, Russia and South Africa. We believe at AVP that there is a power for peace and a good in everyone, which can transform our relationships. AVP Ireland is currently hosting workshops in the majority of Irish prisons.

A big thank you to STAND for inviting us to be part of the STAND Changemakers Academy 2026 residential last week.It was ...
01/09/2026

A big thank you to STAND for inviting us to be part of the STAND Changemakers Academy 2026 residential last week.

It was a wonderful opportunity to share some of AVP’s approaches with a brilliant group of young changemakers and explore together how we can navigate challenging conversations and stay connected when we disagree!

We may have been a little quieter here over the past few weeks, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes! 🌱While we...
26/08/2026

We may have been a little quieter here over the past few weeks, but there’s a lot happening behind the scenes! 🌱

While we’ve been taking a short break between workshops, we’ve started reviewing our workshops and materials that focus on the links between gender and violence.

And, as with everything we do, we’re doing this collaboratively, drawing on the experience and wisdom within our community. Facilitators and participants, inside and outside prison, are reflecting on what works well in the workshops and what we could do differently, while also exploring broader questions together: How does gender shape the violence we experience and the ways we may engage in it? What conversations are important today? And how can we ensure our workshops continue to be relevant, accessible, and meaningful?

There’s plenty more to come from this work, so stay tuned!

We’re grateful to St Stephen's Green Trust for funding this important review process and for the continued support and trust of the Irish Prison Service, in facilitating additional meetings and conversations that make this collaborative process possible.

Interested in volunteering with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Ireland? 👀 Join us for our next online inform...
21/07/2026

Interested in volunteering with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Ireland? 👀

Join us for our next online information session to learn more about our work in prisons across Ireland, our experiential workshops, and what it means to become an AVP volunteer.

📅 Tuesday, 28 July 2026
🕕 6.00 - 7.30pm
💻 Online

To register, please contact us at [email protected]

Hope to see you there!

Don't miss our next quarterly newsletter! Sign up now to receive updates, reflections, and stories from our AVP communit...
08/07/2026

Don't miss our next quarterly newsletter!

Sign up now to receive updates, reflections, and stories from our AVP community. 👇

Sign up through our website or directly here: http://bit.ly/4vdQ0on

Join us and Restorative Practices Ireland for a lunchtime conversation on 1st July 2026!We'll explore the connections be...
16/06/2026

Join us and Restorative Practices Ireland for a lunchtime conversation on 1st July 2026!

We'll explore the connections between restorative practice, nonviolent communication, and experiential learning in our work, and how these approaches help create more peaceful and connected communities.

Hope to see you there! 😊

Register now: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/RkyFKTgXSceb26IpRlwFXA

Don't forget to vote for AVP! ☺️Help us expand our impactful work in prisons across Ireland and reach more people, organ...
12/06/2026

Don't forget to vote for AVP! ☺️

Help us expand our impactful work in prisons across Ireland and reach more people, organise more workshops, and facilitate more community gatherings.

👉 Please take 1 minute to nominate us here: https://aib.ie/personal-forms/community-fund

What to include:
Charity Name: Alternatives to Violence Project Ireland
Charity Registration Number: 20045609
Charity Location: Greater Dublin
Social Theme: Education and Opportunities

Thank you so much for your support!

Every single nomination makes a difference, so please share widely 🙌

We’re delighted to be part of this Erasmus+ consortium led by AONTAS, and we look forward to creating further training a...
28/05/2026

We’re delighted to be part of this Erasmus+ consortium led by AONTAS, and we look forward to creating further training and learning opportunities for our volunteers and staff to enrich our work in prisons and beyond!

We have a chance to unlock €20,000 in funding for AVP Ireland 🚀But we need your help!One quick nomination could directly...
28/05/2026

We have a chance to unlock €20,000 in funding for AVP Ireland 🚀

But we need your help!

One quick nomination could directly support the expansion of our impactful work in prisons across Ireland, helping us reach more people, organise more workshops, and facilitate more community gatherings.

👉 Please take 1 minute to nominate us here: https://aib.ie/personal-forms/community-fund

What to include:
Charity Name: Alternatives to Violence Project Ireland
Charity Registration Number: 20045609
Charity Location: Greater Dublin
Social Theme: Education and Opportunities

Thank you so much for your support!

Every single nomination makes a difference, so please share widely 🙌

A big thank you to Social Justice Ireland for inviting us onto their podcast to speak about our work and the transformat...
26/05/2026

A big thank you to Social Justice Ireland for inviting us onto their podcast to speak about our work and the transformative impact of creating spaces for dialogue, reflection, and community.

It was a pleasure to join the conversation and discuss topics including masculinity, violence prevention, patriarchy, and community responses to harm.

You can listen to the podcast here: https://socialjusticeireland.podbean.com/e/228-sji-interviews-ep136-alternatives-to-violence-project-ireland-with-lisa-oelschlegel-and-robert-cullen/

Lisa Oelschlegel, Coordinator of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) AVP Ireland in and Robert Cullen, a past participant of the AVP Project, chat with Susanne Rogers, our Research and Policy Analyst about the work of AVP and the transformative impact it has on individuals and . They discuss the systemic and individual responses to how is to be expressed, how and interact and how alternatives can be found.
We also touch on Robert's separate work with Success Stories and recent research with the IPRT.

To listen to the podcast check: https://socialjusticeireland.podbean.com/e/228-sji-interviews-ep136-alternatives-to-violence-project-ireland-with-lisa-oelschlegel-and-robert-cullen/

If you’ve been thinking about volunteering with AVP and would like to find out more about what’s involved, come join our...
21/05/2026

If you’ve been thinking about volunteering with AVP and would like to find out more about what’s involved, come join our upcoming online info session on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 at 6pm.

Send us a message or email us at [email protected] to receive the link.

We’d love to see you there!

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