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Alternatives to Violence Project works
with Russian conscripts
Reducing violence among the military may sound like a
contradiction in terms, but it's something being tried by Quakers in
Russia.
Friends in Moscow and the city of Lipetsk are leading an innovative
project bringing the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) to soldiers.
In AVP workshops, participants are given examples of everyday situations
that could lead to violence and encouraged to think how they could be
resolved without violence.
 Sergei Grushko of Friends House Moscow, which is running the
programme, told The Friend that the military involvement began after AVP
facilitators failed to get permission to work in prisons. 'A commander of
a military unit near Moscow said in private conversation with an AVP
participant that he was interested in the work of civilian psychologists
with his conscripts', he explained. 'AVPers decided to try and the results
were positive.'
As well as providing training sessions, Friends House Moscow has also
produced handbooks and booklets on the issue for soldiers. Currently the
project works only with conscripts from particular units in Moscow and
Lipetsk, though a training manual has been developed for volunteers
wishing to replicate this work elsewhere.
The project has recently received funding from the UK Foreign and
Commonwealth Office to develop its work with conscripts. It has also
attracted attention from Russian media, with local and national television
channels showing interest in making programmes about the AVP work with
soldiers.
Army officers do not attend the AVP sessions, 'in order to not disrupt the
hierarchy', but they are in favour of the workshops: 'The officers are
interested in this work as they see it helps to improve the situation with
bullying in their units', said Sergei. He added that over the three years
that AVP has been running with soldiers, the military has become more
relaxed about it and has 'stopped being too suspicious' about civilian
involvement.
Oliver Robertson
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