Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP)

I became a voluntary group facilitator with the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) in 1994 and (besides a 15 year break while my daughters were little) have been involved every since. The following are blog posts that discussion AVP.

Here are a few good places to start:

Do we need a blog by another straight, white, male? - I started the Sustaining Community blog to highlight resources and information that I thought were relevant to students and practitioners. Soon after, I also started writing content that I thought might be useful. The style and voice of the blog … Continue reading →
Special days and dates for the environment – 2023 - A list of significant international and Australian national days/weeks that focus on environmental issues for 2023. Continue reading →
List of posts for 2021 and 2022 - A list of the Sustaining Community blog posts for 2020 and 2021. Continue reading →
Blog statistics for 2022 (Transparency report) - An overview of some of the key statistics for 2022 for the Sustaining Community blog. Continue reading →
Key activities in our trial of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) open group - We’ve been asked what are the key activities that we make sure are included regularly in our trial of an Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Basic workshop as an open group (weekly 2-hour sessions where people can join any week). … Continue reading →
2 questionnaires identifying conflict management style - In a recent point, I provided an overview of 5 styles of conflict management. In this post I discuss two questionnaires that can be used to identify people’s main style Continue reading →
More details of our trial of a weekly, open AVP group - As discussed in a recent post, our local Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) group has been trialling a Basic AVP workshop as a weekly open group (in partnership with the Samaritans Recovery Point) where people can join any week. In this post we will discuss some of the finer detail of this approach. Continue reading →
What are the 5 styles of conflict management? - I find the five styles of conflict management a useful, easy-to-understand way of thinking about different approaches to ways of responding to conflict: These five styles, identified by Kenneth Thomas in 1971 [1] and since refined by him and his … Continue reading →
Trialling an open AVP group with people recently out of prison or rehab - Reflecting on a trial of Basic Alternatives to Violence Project workshops as a weekly open group (where people can join any week) after 35 sessions. Continue reading →
My daughter was arrested - Alexa (my 19-year old daughter) was arrested today while delivering a cease and desist letter to Whitehaven Coal. Continue reading →
Changing focus of the blog - I started blogging around August 2010 (and moved to WordPress in 2011) as a way of sharing interesting resources with students studying online subjects I taught on community engagement and community capacity building. A few years later (around 2014), I … Continue reading →
Starting my blog habit again - Having just read Atomic Habits by James Clear, I’ve decided to write at least 20 words a day on my blog. It doesn’t mean there will be lots of short posts like this, but I hope it will mean that … Continue reading →
Reflections after Week 3 of an open AVP Basic workshop - We’ve completed 3 sessions of our experiment with an open Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) Basic workshop. Unfortunately, a COVID outbreak in Newcastle meant we had to cancel tomorrow’s session so we won’t be back until 11 January 2022. The … Continue reading →
Two million views! - Today is quite a big milestone for my blog: I passed 2,000,000 views! Continue reading →
Offering Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops as an open group - We have started a series of weekly, 2-hour Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops in partnership with the Samaritans’ Recovery Point. The main difference is that it is an open, rather than a closed, group. Continue reading →
Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) flyer - The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) in Newcastle has just developed a flyer with information about AVP. (Click here for a PDF Version.) We hope to increase the number of workshops we offer locally next and are hoping to partner … Continue reading →
Moving Experiential Peace Workshops Online - Some reflections on how we transformed face-to-face Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops into an online context. Continue reading →
My last day at the Family Action Centre - Some reflections on leaving the Family Action Centre after 18.5 years. Continue reading →
Assertive outreach with women experiencing homelessness: A rapid review of literature - The following is the executive summary of a rapid review on assertive outreach with women experiencing homelessness by Tamara Blakemore, Joel McGregor and me. The review was done as part of a research project we are doing in partnership with Nova for Women and Children. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 6): References - Part 6 (the last) of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services only has the references. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 5): summary and conclusion - Part 5 of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 4): Synthesis of findings (continued) - Part 4 of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 3): Synthesis of findings - Part 3 of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 2): Staff interviews, client survey and document review - Part 2 of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services. Continue reading →
Post-Separation Counselling and Mediation Services (Part 1): Introduction to research and literature review - Part 1 of a series of posts about best practice in post-separation counselling and mediation services: a research project with Uniting counselling and mediation services. Continue reading →
Dom Perrottet’s focus on families - Too often when a politician supports family values or has a focus on families, it involves a narrow definition of family and excludes many families from their vision, it is fails to address issues like poverty and discrimination facing families, and assumes certain gendered roles for men and women within a family. Continue reading →
Looking after staff - I was not very positive about my University in my last post, but a announcement earlier this month was a pleasant surprise. I do believe that the University wants to look after staff and students and, while the large, impersonal … Continue reading →
University of Newcastle improving student experience??? - A number of decisions and actions by the University of Newcastle (UON) leadership over the 12 months or so, have left me disillusioned and angry. I’m sick of their rhetoric that they are making changes to improve the experience of students, I cannot support some of their decisions, and I am angry when they have shown little empathy and compassion. Continue reading →
COVID-19 and Family Violence Services in the Hunter - Some reflections about the impact of COVID-19 on families experiencing violence (in many forms) and the services supporting them. Continue reading →
Best practice in counselling and mediation services: A collaborative case study of Uniting - A summary of a recently published report by Tamara Blakemore and me: Best practice and trends in counselling and mediation services in NSW: A collaborative case study of Uniting. Continue reading →
People who don’t respect other people aren’t welcome on my blog - I’m quite angry. I don’t like it when other people try to share a message of exclusion and hate (although they would disagree) through my blog. In 2013, I shared the image above with the following comment This is a … Continue reading →
Postcards from Practice: Initial Learnings from the Name.Narrate.Navigate Program - We have just published a report, Postcards from practice: Initial learnings from Name.Narrate.Navigate. with initial learnings for work with young people and domestic violence. Continue reading →
Updating “About Me” - I am a passionate about helping create a just, inclusive, and nonviolent world where individuals and families are cherished and supported, and communities are vibrant and resilient. In the society I want to help create, we will live sustainably … Continue reading →
List of 2020 posts - A list of all my blog Continue reading →
Blog statistics for 2020 (Transparency report) - Each year I provide an overview of my blog statistics in case they are helpful or of interest to anybody else. I know when I started I had no idea what to expect in terms of number of views, so … Continue reading →
Zero Gravity by Kate Millder-Heidke (A Song for Sunday) - A song for Sunday: Kate Miller-Heidke's amazing performance of Zero Gravity. Continue reading →
The AVP Transforming Power Mandala in Pieces - A version of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) transforming power mandala in pieces for use in online workshops. Continue reading →
“Course optimisation” and the end of my time at the Family Action Centre - From January 2021 I will be working two-days per week, and then my position will finish at the end of October. Continue reading →
Special (Song for Sunday) - I’ve decided to get back to my blog more seriously and as a way of easing my way in, decided to find a great song to warm me up. I recently came across Special by LP (Laura Pergolizzi) when a … Continue reading →
At your door: a climate change artwork - This is a video of my daughter’s HSC (final year high school) visual art work: At your door. It’s an acrylic painting on an old door supported by a soundscape. I admit I’m totally biased, but I think it’s very … Continue reading →
Off-topic posts in a LinkedIn community engagement discussion group - I recently asked a LinkedIn discussion group on community engagement what posts should be deleted. Here are the results. Continue reading →
Song for Sunday – Times like these - Love this version of Times Like These (originally by the Foo Fighters).
Song for Sunday – Sing Gently - The actual song is under 3.5 minutes, but the video is over 10 minutes. Most of it is listing the 17,572 singers from 129 countries who come together to perform Eric Whitacre’s “Sing Gently”. If you liked this post please … Continue reading →
Song for Sunday – Heal Together - It’s been over four years since I posted a song for Sunday so one is well over due. I’m in the process of updating a couple of online courses I teach and I’m wanting to have a greater focus on … Continue reading →
Broken Squares online - Broken squares is a popular exercise in Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), and other workshops. When we trialed an AVP workshop online, I created a version we could do using Google Drawings. It largely works the same way, but with … Continue reading →
Agenda and resources from our first AVP online workshop - We (Graeme Stuart and Rob Duncan from Newcastle, and Selene Moonbeams and Jim Thom from Western Australia) are making the agendas and resources we used in our first Basic Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) online workshop. For an overview of … Continue reading →
20 tips for an online workshop - Having completed our (Graeme Stuart and Rob Duncan from Newcastle, and Selene Moonbeams and Jim Thom from Western Australia) first Basic AVP online workshop, here are some tips for facilitating interactive, experiential workshops online (via Zoom) There are more tips, … Continue reading →
More reflections from our first AVP online workshop - We (Graeme Stuart and Rob Duncan from Newcastle, and Selene Moonbeams and Jim Thom from Western Australia) were very happy that our first Basic Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) online workshop went well. We believe that, while clearly having differences … Continue reading →
Reflections halfway into our first online AVP workshop - We (Graeme Stuart and Rob Duncan from Newcastle, and Selene Moonbeams and Jim Thom from Western Australia) are half way through a 20-hour Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) online workshop (eight 2.5-hour sessions over four weeks) held via Zoom. Our … Continue reading →
Creating a safe space for a workshop on Zoom - Reflecting on strategies for creating a safe space for an Alternatives to Violence Project workshop we are offering via Zoom Continue reading →
7 tips for dealing with conflict while having to stay home - Seven tips that might help when responding to conflict during the COVID-19 crisis and being made to spend more time with our families or households. Continue reading →
What is praxis? - Recently I was attacked for being “out of touch with the real world” with the person going on to say that “many academics have a profound inability to communicate with the less ‘enlightened.’” It seems to me that the attack … Continue reading →
The challenge of how to describe program participants - How do we describe participants in research that capture some of their challenges but also recognises their strengths and potential? Continue reading →
Evidence-Informed Practice and the Integration of Research, Policy, Teaching and Practice in Family Services - The text of an article Deb Hartman and I have just had published in Developing Practice on evidence-informed practice and the integration of research, policy, teaching and practice in family services Continue reading →
Name.Narrate.Navigate: a program for young people who use violence in their families - Name.Narrate.Navigate (NNN) is a program exploring trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive responses to family and domestic violence by young people. NNN, works with young people who have committed family and domestic violence; are identified at risk of coming into contact with the justice system for same; or who live in family and community contexts with high rates of family and domestic violence. The program also works to upskill practitioners in a range of sectors to work with these young people in ways that address the spectrum of violence, abuse and trauma from victimisation through perpetration. Continue reading →
Promoting Nonviolent Relationships: Alternatives to Violence Project Workshops with Parents - These slides are a presentation Gener Lapina and I did at the Rethinking Peace, Conflict and Governance conference in Paramatta (12-14 February 2020). It was part of a session called “Alternatives to Violence, Psychosocial Transformation and Peacebuilding.” Some of the … Continue reading →
Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP), social capital & people from refugee backgrounds - An overview of research undertaking by the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) and the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS) exploring the impact of AVP workshops with people from refugee backgrounds on social impact. Continue reading →
Uni4You: A case study of a community-based University widening participation program promoting lifelong learning - Uni4You is an innovative, pre-access and widening participation strategy based at the Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle (UON). Since 2013, Uni4You has supported students who often have a lived experience of educational disadvantage and are often the first in their families, and their neighbourhoods, to enrol in higher education. Continue reading →
My current projects (February 2020) - My focus is slowing shifting and, in some ways, I’m returning to my roots in the peace movement. Here's a brief overview of some of the projects I'm involved in. Continue reading →
Special days and dates for families and communities – 2020 - Here are some significant international and Australian national days/weeks for 2020 that focus on issues related to families and communities. Continue reading →
Special days and dates for the environment – 2020 - Here are some significant international and Australian national days/weeks for 2020 that focus on environmental issues. Continue reading →
List of 2019 posts - Here is a list of my blog posts for 2019 and how many views they received. Continue reading →
Blog statistics for 2019 (Transparency report) - Some blog statistics for 2019 including total views and the top posts for the year. Continue reading →
SNUG: retreats connecting families - A brief video and a bit of an overview of SNUG: retreats connection families caring for a child with a rare health condition. Continue reading →
Upcycle Newcastle – video - A short video about Upcycle Newcastle. Continue reading →
Updates to the reading list on asset-based community development - Here are 24 resources I've just added to the ever growing reading list on asset-based community development (ACBD) Continue reading →
Some literature on engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities - A collection of articles on engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities Continue reading →
Dear Mister Prime Minister: Are you listening? - Here is the powerful speech given by Alexa Stuart at the Newcastle Global Climate Strike attended by around 10,000 people. Continue reading →
A reading list on family and community engagement - Here is a reading list for an online elective I offer to students at the University of Newcastle about family and community engagement. Continue reading →
Global Climate Strike (Friday 20 September): Everyone is invited, everyone is needed - I’m very pleased that my work place (the Family Action Centre) has endorsed the School Strikers and the Global Climate Strike on Friday 20 September. Here is our statement: The Family Action Centre, University of Newcastle, recognises that families and … Continue reading →
An example of strengths-based engagement - The following is part of a reflection from Vanessa Linden, one of my students in HLSC6105 (Engaging families and communities) as part of her Master of Family Studies at the University of Newcastle. She was happy for me to share … Continue reading →
Research at the Family Action Centre - Today I'm giving a two minute "pitch" about research at the Family Action Centre. We have to "show how your discipline’s research contributes to a consumer, client or potential industry partner." Continue reading →
An introduction to strengths-based practice (a video lecture) - An introductory lecture on strengths-based practice I prepared for students in a course on engaging families and communities. In it I outline 8 principles of strengths-based practice. Continue reading →
Reflections on the election - As you can tell from my last post, my 15-year old daughter is quite involved in the Student Strike 4 Climate movement and worked hard in the lead up to the election. On the day, she spent six hours at a polling booth trying to get people to think about climate change when they voted... The election results, however, suggest that adults weren’t listening and that they really don’t care: other issues were seen as more important. Continue reading →
School Strike 4 Climate: Make it a #ClimateElection - We are facing a climate emergency. Through the School Strike 4 Climate, children and young people, who will pay the greatest price for climate change inaction, are finding their voice and demanding that politicians start showing leadership in responding to this global crisis. Continue reading →
An interactive exercise exploring parenting styles - The Alternatives to Violence Project in Newcastle has been exploring workshops on nonviolence and conflict resolution with parents and partners. The following is an exercise Gener Lapina and I have developed (with input from Anne Hoffman) to explore four parenting styles Continue reading →
Interested in postgraduate study in family studies? - If you could be interested in postgraduate study in family studies, the Family Action Centre is offering an online, interactive information session on Wednesday 10th April, 2019 at 7.30pm, Newcastle time. Continue reading →
My current projects (April 2019) - I'm employed as a lecturer at the Family Action Centre (FAC), University of Newcastle (Australia) which is a great place for somebody with my interests as the FAC incorporates teaching, research, and the delivery of family and community programs. There is always something interesting going on. Here are some of the projects I'm currently involved in. Continue reading →
Strengths-based measurement and collective impact - Data driven approaches like collective impact often prioritise shared measurement and collecting data, particularly quantitative measures, and do not consider the impact of what questions they ask, how they collect data, and who is responsible for interpreting the data. If … Continue reading →
A strengths-based approach to collective impact - Collective impact is an approach to addressing complex social problems. As discussed in the previous post (Collective impact and community engagement), community engagement needs to be at the heart of collective impact, but the (sometimes subtle) message underlying too many initiatives is that the community is part of the problem. When initiatives take a top-down approach and do not involve the community from the start, they are implying that the community has little of value to offer. Continue reading →
Collective impact and community engagement - Kania and Kramer 1 argue that collective impact involves “the commitment of a group of important actors from different sectors.” There can be a great deal of variation in how these “important actors” are defined and identified. Some collective impact initiatives are quite top down with a focus on government agencies and professional community services rather than adopting a more bottom up approach that starts with community members. Continue reading →
What is collective impact? - Collective impact is a multi-sector/multi-agency, collaborative leadership approach to large scale social change in communities that is usually place based (i.e., it is focused on a particular town, neighbourhood or community). Continue reading →
Exploring the impact of Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) - The AVP International Research team, which I'm part of, is exploring how we can measure the impact of workshops, while maintaining the experiential, flexible approach of the workshops. Continue reading →
Power and strengths-based practice - Strengths-based practice fundamentally challenges traditional approaches to power relationships in working with individuals, families and communities. Rather than operating from a position of power-over, strengths-based practice requires us to critically reflect on the dynamics of power in our relationships and to focus on power-with and power-to, and to nurture power-within. Continue reading →
4 types of power: What are power over; power with; power to and power within? - When I first started as a youth worker in 1991, I was working in a medium-term accommodation unit for young people who were homeless. I really struggled with being in a position of authority having just graduated from a welfare … Continue reading →
9 things we can do to challenge fast fashion - In my last post I discussed some of the environmental and social issues involved with fast fashion. If we are serious about sustainability and social justice we need to find alternatives. The following are eight things we can do to … Continue reading →
We need to rethink fast fashion - Imagine a rubbish truck full of discarded clothing going to the rubbish tip every second. This is how much waste is generated in the clothing and fashion industry globally [1] every day, with almost 60% of all clothing ends up … Continue reading →
Special days and dates for the environment – 2019 - CLICK HERE FOR THE UPDATED 2020 LIST OF SPECIAL DAYS AND DATES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Here are some significant international and national days/weeks for 2019 that focus on environmental issues. I’ve also created a list of days and dates focusing on … Continue reading →
Special days and dates for families and communities – 2019 - There are many international and national days/weeks that focus on issues facing families and communities. The following are some of the more significant ones in 2019. I generally haven’t included the many charity days and days focusing on specific health … Continue reading →
List of 2018 posts - Here is a complete list of blog posts from 2018 with the number of views they received as at 31 December 2018. As you can see most of my posts don’t get widely read! There are more stats about my … Continue reading →
Blog statistics for 2018 (Transparency report) - When I started blogging I had no idea how my blog compared to others. I know it shouldn’t matter because I should be doing it for my own reasons, but the truth is I did wonder. After nearly two years … Continue reading →
The Alternatives to Violence Project: Reflections on a strengths-based approach to nonviolent relationships and conflict resolution - This is the text of a peer-reviewed paper that Gener Lapina (from AVP and Family Support Newcastle) and I had published as part of the 2018 Family and Relationship Services Association conference. The citation with a link to the published … Continue reading →
A video introducing asset-based community development (ABCD) - This is a brief introduction to ABCD—asset-based community development (or asset-based community-led development)—produced by The Calabash Trust in South Africa. I like how it discusses the idea that the health of our minds and hearts affect our material well-being. Too much … Continue reading →
Australia’s CO2e emissions continue to rise - Despite attempts by the Government to bury the news, the latest update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory from the Department of the Environment and Energy show that the total emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) are rising. Based on the … Continue reading →
My 2018 Transition Newcastle Convenor’s report - After seven and a half years in the role, this is my last report as convenor of Transition Newcastle. This is actually the 10th anniversary of Transition Newcastle being founded by Will Vorobioff and Maureen Beckett—we really should have a … Continue reading →
Resources for churches on asset-based community development (ABCD) - A while ago somebody asked me about resources on strengths-based approaches to community development for churches. Here are some suggestions, mainly related to asset-based community-driven development (ABCD). Articles about ABCD and churches or faith communities. Barrett, A. (2013). Asset-based community … Continue reading →
What does Gandhi have to say about youth work? - In 2006 I was invited to write a paper on Gandhi as part of a series called “What does … have to say about youth work?” for the journal Youth & Policy. Here is a version with a couple of … Continue reading →
The struggle of trying to write - I’ve been struggling with my writing for a while now. Although my blogging varies quite a lot depending on how busy I am, I usually average five to six blog posts a month. So far this year, I’ve only averaged … Continue reading →
Voluntary participation in group work – the example of Alternatives to Violence Project - An important foundation of AVP is that it is based on voluntary participation [1, 2]. We expect that workshop participants have made a choice to come to the workshop and generally do not accept mandatory referrals (e.g., court orders). At … Continue reading →
Presenting 2 papers at the Family & Relationship Services Australia conference - I’ve had two papers accepted for the Family & Relationship Services Australia conference in Cairns in November this year. One on the Alternatives to Violence Project and one on Uni4You: the abstracts are below. If you are at the conference, … Continue reading →