To kick off this season of the Holden Village Podcast, Ellen is joined by Meisha Wangerin and June Thomassen, co-facilitators of a condensed version of the transformative Basic AVP workshop, designed to provide practical tools for conflict resolution, personal growth, and building peaceful communities. The Alternative to Violence Project (AVP) is rooted in experiential learning, offering participants a chance to explore nonviolent communication, self-awareness, and strategies for resolving tension in constructive ways.

Meisha Wangerin (she/her/Queen) is a passionate and driven leader with over 15 years of experience in non-profit and higher education administration. Meisha’s core skills—storytelling, empathy, and relationship-building—are central to her approach in fostering inclusive and transformative environments. She is a Senior Facilitator for Projects for A Civil Society, where she leads Alternatives to Violence (AVP) workshops in local high schools, jails, and maximum-security prisons, focusing on trauma recovery, building self-esteem, improving interpersonal relationships, community building and resolving conflicts verbally.

Eleven years ago in Fairbanks, AK, June Thomasson co-led a revival of the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) in her Quaker meeting, as an outgrowth of the Quaker understanding that there is “That of God” in everyone. After retiring from 30 years of work as a Physician Assistant in Alaska, she returned to Western Washington, where she has been facilitating AVP ever since. June is now the coordinator for AVP in the Monroe state prison complex. She is also on the committee leading the Western WA AVP group, Projects for a Civil Society. 

To learn more about AVP, visit https://avpusa.org/

To learn more about Holden Village, visit: http://www.holdenvillage.org or to listen to more audio recordings visit: http://audio.holdenvillage.org. The Holden Village Podcast is accessible through Apple iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, and most podcast apps. 

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