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MexicoS P R I N G N E W S L E T T E R April, 2003 PAV-México, A.C. continues the work of the Alternatives to Violence Project, in Mexico City. The organization came about after three of the participants (Juventino Barrera, Venancio Cruz, and Bronwen Hillman) in an introductory workshop series decided that "life doesn’t have to be this way", and together, they formed Programa Alternativas a la Violencia – México, A.C. and are currently working towards bringing about a real change in Mexico City’s violent society. PAV-México, a registered non-profit organization in Mexico, was founded in December, 2001, and since then has held 22 AVP workshops with an attendance of 320 participants.Much of our work is with the inmates of one of Mexico City’s eight correctional facilities, the North Men’s Prison. Bronwen leads this growing program and currently has a team of 5 inmate facilitators in training collaborating with her. A second Training for Facilitators workshop will be held in May, and we hope the inside team will grow to 17 members. Following an experimental period, the administration of this facility invited Bronwen and PAV-Mexico to establish a long term AVP program for the almost 7,000 inmates housed here. Since September of 2002, 18 inmate participants have been released and all are currently working and readjusting themselves into their new lives. 5 of these ex-inmates are now involved with PAV-Mexico as facilitators in training, and will help Bronwen establish the program in other correctional facilities later this year. "When I see physical changes in the participants over a three-day workshop I wonder just how much I had to do with it. When I see life changes in the inmates, I wonder just how much the workshops had to do with it. If I can help change a negative life pattern into a positive one, even in a small way, that is the greatest thanks I could ever receive. But, I can not fully express the gratitude I have for simply allowing me into their lives. "Brilliant Bronwen In January, 2003, a team of 6 inmates came together to work with Bronwen on the revision, adaptation, and creation of AVP exercises for their specific use in Mexico. While the work is slow moving, the team has shown true dedication to this project through their meticulous scrutiny of the material available. We hope to be able to announce the publication of the Basic Manual for Mexico in June. "Before I took the workshop, I was a very negative person. I had all kinds of problems with my wife, cell mates, brothers, and even with my children, and I felt that instead of solving these problems I was making them more complicated. After many years in prison, I had become an unsociable, angry, and totally isolated person. Solitude was my companion. I was losing the most essential values and principles in life, embittered by years of incarceration, I was emotionally blocked and I was hurting not only myself, but also those around me. "I came to the AVP program, in order to fulfill an obligation. The Director of the area I work in, the Auditorium, asked us to take the Basic AVP workshop. So, a little annoyed, and a little obligated, I decided to participate in the workshop. And now, after participating in 1 Basic, 2 Advanced, and the Training for Facilitators workshops, and after being a member of the Facilitating team for 3 workshops, my life has greatly changed thanks to the Transforming Power that I found within me. I can now say that, at 41 years of age, I am at the best time of my life. "Emotionally, I have been able to solve problems that before were left unresolved. These new solutions have allowed me to come to terms with myself, my family, and my fellow inmates. I have also recuperated many things that I’d thought were lost forever, perhaps simple things, but things that I’d lost over the years I’ve been in prison. Now, I feel much better in various aspects because now, thanks to AVP, I really am free (libre). There are many people that feel they have lost almost everything, as I did, and I hope to be able to help them find AVP." Luis Manuel Mérida Cortez Luis is a key member of the inmate facilitator team. He has served 10 years of a 15 year sentence. 2003 is a year of growth and exploration for PAV-Mexico. We will be testing the program in three other correctional facilities in the second half of the year, North Women, East Men, and South Women, with the possibility of taking AVP to a federal penitentiary at the end of the year. In September we will begin working with 5th and 6th graders at a public primary school in a high-risk neighborhood in the north of the city. PAV-Mexico has completed a Spanish translation of the Basic, Advanced, and Training for Facilitators manuals offered by the AVP-USA Distribution Service. These materials may be ordered by contacting Alan Taplow, ataplow@lifename.com We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your interest in the work of PAV-Mexico. Central Uno #10 pavmexico@yahoo.com PAV-México, A.C. is a non-profit organization that relies on donations to continue its work. Please fill out this portion and return it to us: _____ I am / We are enclosing a donation of _________ for the work of PAV-México _____ I am / We are unable to donate at this time, but I / we would like to continue to receive news from PAV-México email address: _____________________________________________ _____ Please remove my / our name from your mailing list Please make checks payable to Bronwen Hillman and send to the address below. You will receive a donation receipt from:Programa Alternativas a la Violencia
– México, A.C.
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