HIPP Youth Project

Help Increase the Peace Project

Help Increase the Peace is derived from the Alternatives to Violence Project and their materials have formed the basis for much of the HIP material. You can access information about them at http://www.avpusa.org. They have manuals in both English and Spanish.

HIPP was developed by the American Friends Service Committee staff in Syracuse, New York, in 1991 as a youth-oriented program to address the epidemic of violence in schools. HIPP is based on the conviction that nonviolence and participation in our communities can better each of us and our world.

Workshops focus on three themes: options to violence; dealing with racism, prejudices, and our differences; and the belief that we can each participate in our communities to bring about positive social change.

HIPP training is composed of three levels of workshops, each three days long, with increases in skill. The building blocks of the workshops are affirmation, communication, cooperation, conflict resolution, and prejudice reduction. HIPP uses cooperative games, discussions, role-playing, and lively group activities to build skills.

HIPP has been effectively applied in middle and high schools where administrators, teachers, and staff members enjoyed and praised the program.  It has also been used with adults and mixed ages in community centers, church basements, offices, and on college campuses. HIPP teaches leadership skills, builds community, and increases participants' self-esteem. It is, by design, fun, easy to replicate, and can be adapted for different audiences and situations. HIPP can go anywhere!

Kathryn Liss
HIPP Network Coordinator
4806 York Road,
Baltimore, MD 21212
443-904-3002
hipp@afsc.org