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Conflict Ignored Is Never Resolved

By Jessiah Lucien

Jessiah is an intern through the organization Futures and Options.

Conflict is like an earthquake. It’s shocking and it comes abruptly, shaking up the lives of everyone in its wake. It’s fearsome and we try to avoid it at all cost, but despite that we still find it taking up parts of our lives. We can either run from it or face it head on and our choice in the matter certainly will dictate the effect it will have in our lives.

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Introducing Lisa M. Courtney, PeaceRaiser 6 Honoree

We’re excited to announce our PeaceRaiser 6 Honoree, Lisa M. Courtney, Esq.! Lisa’s support of and belief in New York Peace Institute has been instrumental in expanding our court programs. We credit Lisa and the Unified Court System staff with opening up doors for us in Housing, Small Claims, Family, Surrogate’s, and Matrimonial Courts. We can’t thank Lisa and her team enough for their support and look forward to honoring her at the PeaceRaiser!

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Queen of Hearts Productions, Inc. Is Bringing Street Art to PeaceRaiser 6: Power to the Peaceful!

We’re thrilled to announce that PeaceRaiser 6: Power to the Peaceful will feature a pop-up art gallery curated by Queen of Hearts Productions, Inc. Buy your PeaceRaiser tickets here!

Queen of Hearts Productions, Inc. Founder Rachael N. Clark, with artists Dave Navarro, Savior Elmundo, and AJ Lavilla. Picture taken at the exhibit Street heARTS: Valentines & Confessions.

We hope you can join us on May 16, 2019 for this exclusive evening filled with art, entertainment, an open bar, and great food! Early Bird tickets are available until May 1, 2019! 

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Mediation Pilot Program in Brooklyn: Resolving Licensee Holdover Claims in Housing Court

By: Nick Schmitt, Program Manager

Just like our city, Housing Court can be an overcrowded and confusing place to navigate, especially for unrepresented parties. Chief Judge Janet DiFore recently formed a Special Commission to recommend improvements to NYC’s Housing Court, which is described in the Commission’s 2018 report as “one of the busiest and most overburdened courts in the nation.”*

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PeaceRaiser 6: Power to the Peaceful

PeaceRaiser 6: Power to the Peaceful will take place at Hudson Terrace on May 16, 2019. The event this year will include a pop-up art gallery curated by Queen of Hearts Productions, Inc., performances by comedians Alingon Mitra and Kareem Green, an open bar, and  great food! We’re also honoring Statewide Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator, New York Unified Court System, Lisa Courtney!

VIP guests are invited to a a special happy hour with participating artists from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Early bird tickets are available until May 1, 2019. Buy your tickets here!READ MORE

How To Approach A Noisy Neighbor

Brick Underground asked Director of Programs, Michele Kirschbaum for advice on approaching a noisy neighbor or landlord. Check out the article here.

 

Mediation Success through the Eyes of a Mediator

by Elizabeth Larsen

The first case I solo mediated at New York Peace Institute was a Small Claims Court diversion case involving two iconic West Village institutions. It was a riotous success with colorful characters and a heck of a lot of fun to mediate. Though mediation is confidential and we don’t reveal information about our cases without the consent of the parties, these particular clients described themselves as the perfect parties for mediation and asked that we profile their experience with us.

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Guest post: From suspension to restoration on Coney Island.

Our Restorative Justice Coordinator Skye Roper-Moses and Assistant Principal Calise working with a student at Rachel Carson High School. (r-l).

Alternatives to Suspension: Rachel Carson High School and Restorative Justice By Anne Marie McFadyen and Emily Sernaker

Michael Calise was tired of suspending students. As a high school Assistant Principal, suspension was one of his only available consequences. Looking for other options, he signed up to attend a Restorative Justice Conference hoping he would discover more effective ways of approaching school discipline.

“There are a lot of mandates to get rid of kids when there’s a problem,” says Mr. Calise. “But it doesn’t work. It doesn’t decrease the recidivism rate. Every time we decided to suspend, it never actually fixed the interaction”.

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