Letter From The CEO
Dear New York Peace Community,
The current health crisis has tested all of us as individuals, families, mediators, community members and New Yorkers in immeasurable ways. Some of us are working from home for the first time. Some of us are spending more time with our family members, children and roommates. Some of us have gotten sick. Many of us have lost people dear to our hearts, and many more have lost their livelihoods. The disruption, stress, and grief we are experiencing as individuals and a community is unfathomable and unprecedented.
Now over a month into this crisis, I find myself truly inspired by the incredible resource and service provider that New York Peace Institute continues to be for our communities. I am so proud of the perseverance and selflessness of our staff and volunteers who are dedicated to providing services, despite the additional difficulties presented by working remotely. Our staff and mediators have rapidly responded to the crisis by shifting to a remote service model for mediation, conflict coaching and restorative practices, and by sharing resources and information with every client who calls. See our Resource Guide and Press Release for more information.
New York Peace Institute is helping New Yorkers during this time of need to address the conflicts in our lives. The coronavirus may not have caused all of the conflicts, but it has heightened the intensity of many of them. New York Peace Institute is helping parents navigate complicated and sometimes heart wrenching co-parenting decisions that social distancing and the health crisis have exacerbated. We are a resource for isolated individuals for whom a conflict coaching or mediation session might be a lifeline. We are here for the thousands of New Yorkers who are dealing with noise and other issues in their apartment buildings. We are supporting organizations and workplaces struggling to convert to remote working situations and navigate the challenges of layoffs and reorganization. And so much more.
As an organization, we are also facing major changes and challenges. As many of you know, our annual fundraiser, our PeaceRaiser, scheduled to take place on April 30, has been cancelled. We are organizing a series of online events in its place. Stay tuned for more information!
And like many other nonprofit organizations, we are facing almost certain cuts in government funding and losses due to the cancellation of conflict resolution programs and mediation trainings. It’s unclear how deep the cuts will be and what impact they will have. In order to adequately respond to the ongoing requests and needs of our community, we are doing everything possible to ensure continuity of services during this time, and to make sure that New York Peace Institute not only survives this health and financial crisis, but that we come out on the other side stronger than ever.
I hope that you will join us in our efforts to survive and thrive during this difficult period and consider giving a gift today. Thank you, as always, for your continued support and dedication to New York Peace Institute. We are so appreciative of you and our entire NYPI community.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Jennifer Magida