developing people's abilities to resolve conflicts
 ...without resorting to violence


 Conferences Past Conferences 2002 Annual Gathering  Minutes

AVP-USA ANNUAL NATIONAL GATHERING
Camp Hanover in Mechanicsville, Virginia

Memorial Day Weekend 2002

 

This years Annual Conference was held at Camp Hanover in Virginia .  Our Conference Committee, lead by Charles and Susan Oropallo, did a wonderful job of choosing this location and organizing this uplifting weekend. 

 

There was a lot of time to get with other facilitators and share what is going on.  The beautiful environment also gave us time to relax, meditate, hike and swim.  The AVP USA Committees met to share their activities during the last year and plans for the future.  Committee Reports are part of the Annual Meeting minutes.  Many break-out sessions were offered for learning, sharing and reaching out.  I will enclose a description of each of those sessions.  We even had an evening of international folk dancing led by the very talented Nancy Penney.

 

The conference started out with a welcome from the Conference Committee chair, Charles Oropallo and the staff at Camp Hanover .  Steve Angell followed with reflections on AVP.  Then Dick Nethercut led us in a tribute to Zell Draz and Marjorie Kerr, both who have passed on this year.  Many of us will not forget the contribution these ladies made to AVP.

 

During the conference, we heard from two very talented and informative speakers.

 

Carl Mays, author of “A Strategy for Winning”, shared some dynamic, interactive motivational thoughts on succeeding in life.  He led us through some group activities to look into our AVP lives.

 

Tony Laguna, the author of “Chicken Soup for the Prisoners Soul”, shared some experiences he has had while writing this book.  He and his wife, Laura, had some their books with them and shared their weekend with us.  He is also the author of the upcoming “Chicken Soup for the Volunteers Soul”.scheduled for release  July 15, 2002 .

 

On Sunday morning, Sef McBride, an ex-inmate, pulled together a panel of ex-inmates facilitators to discuss “What AVP means to me”.  It was very inspirational to listen to these men and women.  After all, isn’t this what AVP is about?

 

Congratulations to the Conference Committee for the super job they did in securing the location for us and putting together a terrific program.

 Diana Couch


BREAK-OUT SESSIONS

 

 

Steve Angell

Quick Decisions—

“Workshop from Hell”

Bring a story of your most challenging experiences as a facilitator, and hear how others think they would have handled it.

Tyrone Wallace

Support Systems Inside—The STEPS (Support, Training, Education, Partnership) program currently running in western Massachusetts .

Terry Kayser

National Program Evaluation—An invitation to provide input and express interest in joining a program evaluation of AVP in prison settings by other regional groups.  Hear what is proposed in Minnesota working with the Wilder Foundation.

Alan Taplow, Don Kesselheim

Vermont’s Reparative  Board approach to Restorative Justice—A new ½ hour video of the Vermont Reparative Model, followed by discussion of how citizen volunteers may participate in healing process.

Terry Kayser

Creating Alternative Agendas—Exploring strategies to use when workshop dynamics change and render the prepared agenda useless.

Barbara Carter

“The Way Home”—The Way Home is a program that operates in Delaware that reaches out to men and women in their transition from prison to home.

Charles Oropallo, Jo Kurzman

Going Back In—An ex-inmate panel addresses some of the Why and How of ex-inmates going back into prisons as community AVP facilitators—how we can encourage the process allowing ex-inmates back inside as volunteers.

Barbara Toews Shenk, Ann Ward

Restorative Justice Inside Prison—Exploring the RJ/AVP Relationship—Exploring the links between a variety of prison-based Restorative Justice approaches and AVP.

Bob Barnes

Transforming Power Mandala - workshop

Sef McBride, Charles Oropallo

Stigmatization—An ex-inmate panel discussion of living with stigmas within the community and how AVP can help.

Kathy Rubenstein, Carol Peters

Houses of Healing—Learn more about this Emotional Awareness Program, which uses psychological and spiritual healing techniques to develop personal insight and responsibility, and encourage forgiveness and transformation—an excellent follow-on to AVP.

John Shuford

AVP Community Conferencing in prison—Simulating a community conference within the AVP trainer community when an inmate trainer has demonstrated behavior in serious violation of guidelines or prison rules.  An example is an inmate getting into a fight and ending up in the hole.

Chelsea Kesselheim

New AVP Exercises—The new manual?  Light and Livelies?  Role-Playing?  Whether new exercises or variations on old AVP exercises, come prepared to enjoy and to share your discoveries.

Terry Tyson

“Foregiveness”—the infamous F-word—The presenter will tak a bit about her experience with it as a violent crime “victim” (notice the quotes) and mediator and share some readings, music and participatory exercises (not in the Advanced Manual) to use when the topic arises.

Stan Sloane

The Impact of AVP on Inmate Behavior—Encouraging findings from research conducted at the Delaware Correction Center in Smyrna , De.

Darrell Hefte

HIPP—Workshop formats, network, policy.  TP?  AVP alliance?  Brief opening remarks; Discussion

Tom Truitt

Strategic Listening—Interactive practice session on Strategic Listening—a mediator’s technique for reaching win-win agreements.

John Shuford

A “New Reality”—Anger Management through AVP.

 

 

 


Minutes of the 2002 AVP USA Annual Meeting

Camp Hanover , Virginia

Sunday, May 26, 2002

 

The annual meeting was called to order by Susan Hefte.

 

The gathering was: “3 words to describe how I’m feeling”

 

Ann Ward talked about the regions and locals and pointed out a graph which designated our current regions.

 

We then heard Regional reports from those regions represented.  Those reports are attached to these meeting notes.

 

Each AVP USA committee and ad hoc committees then gave their reports.  They are also attached.

New business issues were discussed.

Restorative Justice would like to become a full committee vs an ad hoc committee.

Referred to Committee of Committees to submit a recommendation.

Internation Travel Fund was established.  This was established with the $1000 that was being held to send Marjorie to an International Conference as our representative when her health permitted.  Marjorie past away this year.

This fund will be used to assist those going to Nigeria this year.  It will be administered by the Finance Committee.

Diversity Issues

Conference Committee with continue to evaluate each conference keeping these issues in mind.

Zell Scholarship – Was left to AVP by Zell  Draz

Finance Committee will submit recommendations for its application.

Need to update PR material

Referred to Communications Committee who is continually looking at AVP PR.

Financing for Regions

Referred to Finance Committee

Bringing in someone with Grant Writing Skills

Referred to Finance Committee

Regular Transformers (plans were to release 4 a year)

Referred to Communications Committee who is currently working through this.

Inmate re-entry into community issues

An ad-hoc committee was formed to look into this.  John Shuford will chair this committee.

New Agendas and Exercises & getting them out to the AVP community.

Referred to Education Committee

Co-opting AVP (with HIPP, RJ for example)

An Ad-hoc committee was formed.  Darrell Hefte will serve as chair.  A letter concerning the standards and philosophy of AVP will be drafted and submitted to Committee of Committees for comments.

Dues, Subscriptions evaluated (Transformer)

Finance & Communications Committee

New Officers were presented and accepted:

 

Ann Ward – President

Susan Hefte – Vice President

Tom Truitt – Treasurer

Teresa Tyson – Recording Secretary

 

Tom Truitt has accepted the position this year stating the he would like to find and train a replacement this year.  This has been referred to the finance committee.

 

The Conference Committee announced the next Conference for 2003 will be held in Stillwater , Minnesota at a retreat center.

 

The closing gathering was “A highlight of the conference for me was….”.

 

Meeting Adjourned

 

 

Respectively Submitted:

Terry Tyson

AVP–USA Recording Secretary


 

 

Attendees to the 2002 AVP-USA Annual Meeting

 

Pat Wixom

Missouri

Nancy Helfrich

Minnesota

Sidney Hinds

Minnesota

Audry Miller

New England

Virginia Osborn

NY

Al Brophy

NY

Chelsea Kesselheim

WY

Don Kesselheim

WY

Terry Case

WY

Harry Greenberg

MN

Anita Brown

WY

Mary Lou Beatman

DE

Deborah Sanchez

Wy

Henry Rivera

NY

Bob Barns

CA

Tyrone Wallace

Mass

Steve Angell

PA

Donald Moon

PA

Aaron McBride

NY

Ellen Flanders

NY

Teresa Tyson

OH

Diana Couch

CA

Susan Hefte

FL

Ann Ward

PA

Sherrill Hogen

Mass

David Hutchins

MD

EmmaLou Davis Comstock

MD

Nancy Hutchins

MD

Judy Varner

VT

Jane Foraker-Thompson

NV

Jeanette Shaw

PA

Carol Peters

MA

Nancy Penney

VA

Michael Bischoff

VA

Victoria Pearson

PA

Robin Willits

NH

Karen Tucker

Maine

Dick Nethercut

MA

Jan Krouskop

LA

Rick Krouskop

LA

Grace McGrath

NY

John Shuford

DE

Alan Taplow

VT

Jo Kurzmann

Maine

Toby Laverty

CA

Darrell Hefte

FL

David Wickes

PA

Don Ayers

MA

Toby Riley

NJ

Susan Oropallo

NH

Charles Oropallo

NH

Jim Loomis

ME/NH

Terry Kayser

MN

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revised: 02/26/2014            © 2014 AVP/USA, Inc.