About
AVP-DC

Learn more about what we do

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About Us

AVP-DC (Alternatives to Violence Project DC) is composed of a group of dedicated volunteers committed to reducing violence and building a culture of community, care, and dignity without relying on punitive punishments and systems of harm and violence. We host nonviolent workshops and other events, as well as partner with organizations and groups in DC and surrounding states. Our workshops teach practical tools for conflict transformation, trauma healing, communication, and accountability. AVP also brings an element of lighthearted fun and playfulness, which includes “light and lively” activities and the use of “adjective names.”

Our Mission

The purposes for which AVP-DC is organized are as follows:

A. To build an international movement of creative conflict resolution built on affirmation, respect for all, community, cooperation and trust;

B. To build a team of trained AVP youth and adult facilitators in Washington, DC who can conduct workshops on creative conflict resolution; and

C. To engage in any other religious, charitable, scientific, or educational purposes, within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

Our History

Gerry Fitzgerald, journalist and published author, was a member of Friends Meeting of Washington (FMW). He brought his passion for AVP to FMW, which he acquired while living and working as a facilitator in Irish prisons. He and his wife lived half the year in her family town in Ireland and half in DC.

Gerry’s particular goals were to bring AVP to youth and returning citizens in DC. AVP-DC was formed in 2019, shortly before the Pandemic closed the city down. But new members persisted, having very early zoom meetings, sponsoring a virtual Basic Workshop, and connecting with AVP branches in Maryland, Australia, Europe, and Africa.

Thanks to members active in the returning citizen community, we conducted an Introduction to AVP for community leaders at Martin Luther King Library in 2023. In 2024 we began working with staff members of a housing program catering to formerly incarcerated adults and families. Our current board is committed to working towards Gerry’s primary dream of bringing AVP to children in our city.

AVP-DC is part of the national Alternatives to Violence Project network. We operate under the AVP-USA umbrella while functioning as an independent local branch serving the Washington, DC region.