SPAVA (Society for the Prevention of Aggressiveness and Violence Among Adolescents)

Please see our SPAVA Video under the CUSTOM TAB

Fourth grader Joy, by her own admission, was a bully. Because Joy was tall for her age, she was able to physically intimidate her fellow students. She only realized she was a bully during a SPAVA class. SPAVA changed her heart and changed her behavior.

Joy's story is repeated 100's of times every school year at every grade level through the efforts of SPAVA volunteers and mentors.

Joy and all our SPAVA students need curriculum, T-shirts, web content and videos to reinforce and sustain the concepts that made Joy realize she was a bully and that she could permanently change her behavior.

SPAVA serves students Pre-K through 12th grade. Adult volunteer mentors follow a pre-planned curriculum in which alternatives to violence are discussed. Students learn skills centered around anger control and discover how controlled aggression (assertiveness) can be beneficial. They discover the art of negotiating to realize they can win through nonviolence. Students discuss the value of hard work and how these values support becoming successful adults. They learn to be good listeners and how listening benefits better understanding of other people as well as to accept others for their differences. Students assimilate the worth and importance of respect, honor, integrity, resilience, and perseverance as they develop the spirit of "liking myself for who I am" as they become Ambassadors of Peace within their own communities.

SPAVA is very proud to announce that 22 Volunteer Mentors volunteered 930 hours over the course of the 2023-2024 school year. These volunteer hours were logged mentoring students in K-12th grade, in JCPS schools and the West End School. Their hard work and dedication has made a difference in the lives of the students in our community.

SPAVA seeks to create a non-violent world one child at a time. In the words of Gandhi, "We must be the change we want to see." SPAVA is making a difference in young people's lives!

If you are interested in learning more about SPAVA or would like to volunteer as a SPAVA mentor, please visit our website spava.us or contact Dr. Doris Mann, PhD, the SPAVA Coordinator, at doris.mann9@gmail.com