From Intern to Staff Member

by: Josephine Ferreiro, Program Coordinator

I began working as an intern in the fall of 2009 with 7 others; it was great meeting such interesting students who were like me, excited about becomng a mediator.  Within our group we spoke five languages; I come from a multi-cultural background, and one of my passions is to travel and discover new cultures, so it was a delight to work among a group of talented students from other countries at APADRC. 

What attracted me most about the organization was its goal of "addressing complex, cross-cultural, community conflicts and their root causes."  It is important to be aware of cultural differences in resolving a confict, and simply acknowledging the fact helps a great deal.  I committed to fulfilling this goal by working 3 days per week, which gave me the opportunity to become  familar with handling cases, how to deal with challenging clients and complete paperwork.  My internship was eye-opening and helped me gain another perspective on everyday conflicts and disputes.  

My thirst for more knowledge and involvement at APADRC led me to take on the position as Program Coordinator to help the new cohort of interns handle their cases, as well as coordinate the Peace Makers ad Mediators (PM2) program at King Drew Magnet High School.  I have worked with youth before, but now I am working with them in a different setting where the students are the mediators.  In youth cases, as opposed to adult cases, the process is a lot faster, and peer mediation helps students learn to take responsibility for their actions and acknowledge their mistakes.  Thanks to programs like these, students can avoid other consequences such as physical violence that lead to suspension or expulsion. 

Now as a staff member, I am looking forward to working with our new Spanish speakers to grow our Day Labor Project and our impact in the Latino community.  I am grateful for this opportunity and hope to become a valuable asset to APADRC.