Alternatives to Violence Project/Metro NY Inc.

The Alternatives to Violence Project was born in 1975 as the result of a union between a inmate group at Green Haven Prison who was working with youth gangs and teenagers at risk for violence, and the Quakers, the Religious Society of Friends, who believe that simplicity, pacifism and inner revelation are the keys to successful living. Over the last 30 years, AVP has spread throughout the country and world, introducing many thousands of people to the strategies and techniques of peaceful, non-violent lifestyles. In 1993, the New York Chapter of AVP incorporated as the Alternatives to Violence Project/Metro NY Inc. (AVP/Metro) as it continued to bring workshops to schools, treatment centers, houses of worship, social service agencies and training centers, in addition to the men and women in New York State prisons. Soon after starting, it became evident that the program designed for prison inmates would be beneficial to everyone. Community people began to seek the AVP training and today workshops for the general public are offered throughout New York State.