How to Offset the Impact of Role Models from Music Videos

I found this post about demeaning lyrics and the distressing way music videos depict young women by a young street poet on myspace . What's your response to him?

blog.myspace.com/streetpoetsinc:

"Many of the current music videos include females who are skimpily dressed and/or males singing or rapping derogatory lyrics. It is not uncommon to see a video with females who are almost naked, while the males are fully dressed. There are some songs that are in heavy rotation on the radio alluding to strip clubs and encouraging women to 'shake their money maker' (e.g. body parts) in order to make money. The perceived definitions of 'naked beauty' appear to infer that the more females expose their bodies, the more opportunities they will receive.

This leads to my pet peeve.

Adolescents are at a challenging developmental stage. They want to be accepted by peers, appear attractive, and are dealing with puberty and developing an identity. Also, during this growth period there may be increased conflict with the caregivers/parents as the youth fights for more independence.

Caregivers/Parents, Teachers, Social Service Providers, and Spiritual Leaders, have to develop creative and effective interventions to instill self-esteem, life skills, empowerment, and educational commitments in youth, while youth are simultaneously being exposed to negative media images.

I ask my friends/network:
How do we help adolescent females build self-esteem when they are given the message that exposing their bodies will make them worthy of attention and/or affection?

How do we help adolescent males develop respect for females when they are being given the message that females are 'cattle' who are undeserving of respect?"

Photo by Jonathan Smith

New York Center to offer 40 Hour Divorce Mediation Training:

Reach new heights in 2007.
Don’t Miss An Oppurtunity to Expand your Mediation Expertise!!

New York Center and Adam Berner, JD, MA to offer an exciting 40 Hour Family & Divorce Mediation Training in March 2007.

This is a comprehensive 40 Hour Divorce Mediation Training that is designed to cover basic theory and skills of divorce mediation including divorce law, all financial aspects of divorce, parenting issues and family dynamics. Participants will have full opportunity to learn the best practice of divorce mediation through role plays and receive feedback from coaches.

The training will be led by Adam Berner, JD, MA.

Thursday- March 15, 2007
Friday- March 16, 2007
Sunday- March 18, 2007
Monday- March 19, 2007
Tuesday- March 20, 2007

Each day will run from 9 am to 6 pm

Location: Empire State Building
350 Fifth Avenue – Room 2901
New York, NY 10118-2996

Cost: Early Bird Registration $ 1175. $1250 after January 20, 2007.
($500 deposit required)


This Training is an approved training by the Association of Conflict Resolution, Family Section.


To Register or for more information, please contact

Kathleen M. Vaughan
Director, Court Referral & Conflict Resolution Services
Phone: 718-947-4041
email: kvaughan@nycid.org

Clients Demand Diversity at Law Firms

There's an interesting, angry discussion at the Wall Street Journal Law Blog. It seems that some large corporations (examples given -- Walmart and Safeco) are demanding that their outside law firms do better at diversifying their staff of attorneys. The article has generated a storm of responses.

How does celebrating diversity translate into hiring policies? Does diversity of staff increase a firm's collective competence?

I think it does -- given that everyone hired has a baseline competence. A staff that brings a diverse range of experience and perspectives will provide better services -- but only if the organization's leadership makes it safe and welcoming for individuals to share their perspectives. What do you think?

Law Blog - WSJ.com : Clients Demand Diversity at Law Firms: "Clients Demand Diversity at Law Firms
Posted by Peter Lattman

The legal departments of Corporate America continue to pressure their outside law firms to diversify — or else. A Recorder story focuses on Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, the subject of an American Lawyer story last year about its struggles with diversity. At the time, Gibson had five minorities among its 256 partners; by mid-January it should have 10." [more]

Photo by Justin Hall

Should Schools be Censoring Christmas Ornaments?

Ah, once again, bureaucracy at work. Seems to me that school is a good place to learn about others' religions and customs and to learn how to share what you value with others. The issue is the role of the teacher in making room for all to feel included.

Townhall.com::School Assignment: Prepare a Christmas Ornament Without a Christmas Reference::By Jay Sekulow

Some of the issues surrounding the Christmas holiday in the schools borders on the absurd. This is certainly the case for students at Unity Drive Elementary School in New York. Zachary is a student at Unity Drive Elementary and was given an assignment by his teacher to decorate a Christmas ornament that would be displayed in the school. [read more]

Who Mentored You???

QUINCY JONES, MAYA ANGELOU, CLINT EASTWOOD, & STING TO HEADLINE NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH - January 2007

Thank Your Mentor Day™ will be celebrated on Thursday, January 25. On that day, many Americans will reach out to thank or honor those individuals who encouraged and guided them, and had a lasting impact on their lives.

Thank Your Mentor Day™ promotes "Three Ways to Honor Your Mentor":

1) Contact your mentor directly to express your appreciation;

2) "Pass it on" by becoming a mentor to a young person in your community; and,

3) Write a tribute to your mentor for posting on www.WhoMentoredYou.org.

British Mediation Site Employs Innovative Outreach Methods

AdviceNow offers some help for families facing the holidays in conflict. This is an innovative mediation service that has adopted a variety of techniques to bring conflict resolution skills to the public.

When you visit their site, you'll find down-loadable guides, 3 podcasts, surveys, a forum, press releases, quizzes, articles -- all geared to introducing family mediation and conflict resolution skills.

The podcasts deal with resolving issues confronting the newly separated. (I haven't listened to them yet. If you do, let us know what you think.)

• I want to see my daughter
• How am I going to pay my bills now?
• There's no way I'm moving to a bedsit
  

Their press release caught people's attention with the headline "Over Four in Five Fear Family Problems will Ruin Christmas." Once at the site, they can direct you to the closest mediation service.

AdviceNow is an Advice Services Alliance project.

Michigan High School Starts Diversity Club

Here's an approach a Michigan high school, 96 % white, 24 % economically disadvantaged, is taking to deal with discrimination issues-

Greenville: High school adds culture, diversity club

"High schoolers can be very judgmental about what someone wears, where they live, or how much their parents make. To curb this, we're teaching by setting an example ... showing them that it is important to treat everyone with respect no matter what their circumstances are," Paras said.
Along with providing a safety net to minorities, the club also is providing a safe environment for gay students to air concerns through the formation of a subgroup known as the Gay-Straight Alliance. [more]

Holiday Gathering Inspires Poetry

Frank Saladis, one of the NY Center's great supporters, listened to the stories at the Holiday Gathering and was moved to write the following poem there in the midst of the festivities. He read it to us at the close of the program. We'd like to share it with you.

During this special time of the year

The New York Center team spreads happiness and cheer.

Like elves at the North Pole, they work through each day,

Building young minds and showing the way.

To a bright new future with opportunities galore,

And teaching the skills to make each and every dream soar.

There’s no better gift that one can bestow,

Than the knowledge that helps every student to grow.

As the holidays surround us and good will fills the air,

The gift from team NYCID is showing students we care.

So Happy Holidays to everyone and a wish for next year,

May your dreams be fulfilled and each day filled with cheer.

Mosaic Coalition Essay and Art Contest Winners

Elementary and high school students throughout Staten Island had an opportunity to explore the impact of their cultural roots on their identity through art and essay. Over the next few weeks we'll publish some of their work.

These are the winners.

ELEMENTARY ART CONTEST:
Individual Prize Winners:

First: Philip Marcus, PS 36
Second: Philip Passante, PS 36
Third: Samer Moussa, PS 36
Honorable Mention:
Jacklyn Simeone, PS 36
Carissa Cardinale, PS 26

Group Prize Winners:

First: Class 5-521, MJ Petrides School
Second: Early Childhood Center, MJ Petrides School
Third: Class 4-422, PS 57
Honorable Mention: Class 4-303, PS 19
& Class 4-208, PS 35

MIDDLE SCHOOL ESSAYS

First: Tristan D'Souza, MJ Petrides School
Second: Bianca Audrey Duah, MJ Petrides School
Third: Nicholas Anderson, IS 72
Honorable Mention: Katherine Scarangello, IS 24

HIGH SCHOOL ESSAYS

First: Joye Mercado, St. John Villa
Second: Elizabeth Holmes, MJ Petrides
Third: Lauren Lyngholm, Notre Dame Academy
Honorable Mention: Andre Thomas, Susan Wagner High School
& Ramique Green, Curtis High School

Should we encourage diversity training in the workplace?

This provocative article caught my eye. The NY Center sponsors the Mosaic Coalition and its annual Celebrate Diversity! event. Read this article for a very different view on the issue of diversity training. Tell us what you think...

Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Collin County Opinions

Is diversity training a bad idea?

Ever since diversity was championed at my place of work, there has been a change in my thinking. I've started noticing co-workers' race, gender, age, etc., whereas before, I didn't – I concentrated on the work at hand. I wonder, is that the goal of diversity in the workplace – to spend time on things that have nothing to do with getting the job done? [read more]

DOJ Reports Serious Violent Crime at School Continues to Fall

Mostly good news comes from DOJ on school crime and safety. Things seem to be improving somewhat. But, whenever I read these reports I'm amazed by the degree of violence in our schools.

Bureau of Justice Statistics Press Release: Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2006

While the rate of violent victimization continues to fall, other aspects of safety in schools have not shown short-term improvement. During 2005, 24 percent of students reported that there were gangs at their schools, a 3 percent increase from 2003 (21 percent). Other school behavior measures, such as fighting at school, carrying a weapon and drinking remain at their 2003 levels.

Some indicators show student safety has improved over the past decade. Between 1995 and 2005, the percentage of students who reported avoiding one or more places in school declined from 9 percent to 4 percent. Fourteen percent of students surveyed in 2005 reported having been involved in a physical fight on school property during the past 12 months, compared with 16 percent in 1993. Between 1993 and 2005, the percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who reported carrying a weapon to school in the preceding 30 days declined from 12 percent to 6 percent.

Editorial Praises Oregon Judges' Mediation of Catholic Sex Abuse Cases

Yes, I'm catching up on a backlog in my mailbox-- Here's good news on the role of mediation in Oregon's panel dealing with the Catholic Church's sexual abuse cases.

The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, USA

More than mediation
A Register-Guard Editorial
Published: Wednesday, December 13, 2006

The word "mediation" is hardly sufficient to describe the effort required to forge Monday's announced settlement resolving nearly 150 lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland. The suits were filed by people claiming to have been sexually abused by priests in Western Oregon.

Citizens Push Selectmen to Mediate Their Differences

When our elected officials can't work with each other, business grinds to a halt. Recently, I've seen an increase in the number of towns seeking to resolve conflicts in their working relationships through mediation. This story comes from Massachusetts. Take note! The citizens pushed them to do it.

Town hire mediation firm - The Beacon-Villager

Town hire mediation firm
By Chrissie Long
Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Updated: 08:00 AM EST

Selectmen hired a mediation group for the purpose of resolving internal conflict and agreed to spend no more than $3,200.

The decision to work with an outside professional came in the wake of a citizen’s petition filed a few days before Thanksgiving. Residents called the board ineffective and dysfunctional due to poor communication and conflicts between selectmen and professional staff.

Recognizing their may be a problem, selectmen agreed to look outside the board for a solution. Last night, they approved a $3,200 reserve fund transfer to cover costs of the mediation.

Mediation to Enrich Child Protection Program in New Brunswick, Canada

These folks are adding mediation as a component of a major overhaul to the Child Protective Services System. Their goal in overhauling the system -- for social workers to focus on the children and families rather than the administrative and paperwork burden that encumbers so many bureaucracies. And when it comes to Child Protection, that administrative focus can yield death and devastation for the children.

canadaeast.com | December 17th, 2006

Under the province's reform plan [they] will also steer child protection cases away from the courts and into mediation.

"Since the majority of child protection cases require attention and services, but do not need court-ordered interventions, the mediation model will make the court actions a last resort rather than the norm," said Family and Community Services Minister Carmel Robichaud.

The child protection mediators will be specialized professionals and are intended to reduce the adversarial tone of the proceedings.

Mediation Help Through the Holidays

This little article from Washington State offered no other details -- This is an interesting community service. I wonder how much it's utilized.

Parents request mediation help

Dispute Resolution Center of Snohomish and Island Counties, a program of Volunteers of America, is planning to offer its annual holiday mediation sessions for parents who are having difficulty determining where their children will spend school holiday vacations, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Hanukkah.

The service is offered free and with little advance notice. For more information, call 425-339-1335 before Tuesday.

Just reading the press release helps people understand yet another way that mediation services help resolve conflict.

Gary Goes to the Citizens Police Academy – S.13

WHAT I AM ON ABOUT: The last session, and the Citizens Police Academy sessions in general, were both good, and not so good. A final sad note regarding Auxiliary Deputy Chief Sam Brown.

The final class of the Fall, 2006 Citizens Police Academy did not go gently into the good night. A session which should have been a simple stroll to our graduation, became a quite unwieldy evening.

There was a lot of material to cover in the session, which should have appropriately tied together loose ends. There was the class plaque to be discussed, recruitment, letting us know the speaker for the upcoming graduation, an address from the President of the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association, and closing remarks by the Captain of the Police Academy. Covering these areas would have led to a leisurely session with everyone leaving a little early, on a good note before the graduation session. However, this was not be.

Peculiarly, the powers to be at the Police Academy threw into the mix a very engaging, but lengthy, piece on what the NYPD is doing proactively regarding terrorism. Consequently, the final session had no break, and it went to the final minutes-plus. Leaving insufficient time to cover the plaque, and lingering questions for the class coordinator.

That all said, the recruitment section itself, though very low-key, was quite effective in selling the virtues of the joining the NYPD. The recruitment officer discussed the generous benefits package offered by the Police Department, particularly to seasoned officers, and the many job opportunities available within the Police Department. The officer’s effectiveness was in large part the result of his enthusiasm, and his evident belief in what he was selling.

Also, the section regarding anti-terrorism was quite engaging. We learned about the Nexus Unit, the Critical Response Vehicle, and the muscle on display Hercules Unit. The instructor provided us with a more microcosmic approach to terrorism within the NYPD, than our previous terrorism session did. The concern of the instructor’s unit is not so much a global view of terrorism, as our previous instruction was about, but more about proactive strategic responses to terrorism. This would have tied in very nicely with the previous session on terrorism, but was a lengthy mismatch in a session which was about preparing for our graduation.

Overall, unlike some vocal classmates, I am not walking away from the Citizens Police Academy euphoric, or believing my expectations for the Citizens Police Academy had been exceeded. Instead, I am walking away with mixed feelings.

I am walking away from the Citizens Police Academy training feeling that quite possibly I have not seen the whole picture. That the gulf between the theoretical and the practical may be bigger than the training let on. Unfortunately, I am not alone in my feeling, given the unnecessary hostile final session questions from a couple of my classmates, directed to the evening’s counter-terrorism instructor.

On the other hand, I also am also walking away from the Citizens Police Academy training very glad, and thankful, that I had the opportunity to learn about why the police often do, what they do. I have already taken this back with me to my job at New York Center in dealing with complainants, who turn to mediation after turning to the police.

So, the experience was very much a mixed bag.

As a final note to my days at the Citizens Police Academy; I was saddened to hear Staten Island Auxiliary Deputy Chief Sam Brown passed away a week ago on Sunday. Deputy Chief Brown arranged, and participated in, many of the of my rides to the Police Academy. An army buddy, and friend, of Elvis Presley, Chief Brown was a rugged individual who served many years with the Army. He believed very strongly in the good work that the police of Staten Island do. “I actually originally thought he was police brass;” Councilman McMahon recently told the Advance. The police have lost an impassioned ally for the work they do on Staten Island, and he will be missed.

Here's a Great Read - In Memory of Pearl Harbor Day

On my personal blog on Veterans Day I posted about some wonderful stories and graphics about WWII that Leif Peng has published on his blog. It occurs to me that, in memory of Pearl Harbor, you might like to take a look.

Lief's family is a real mosaic coalition all by itself, and the stories bring their experiences on both sides of the War to life.

How Would You Mediate This Case?

The title and this comment in an article on the Michael Richards (Seinfeld) flap caught my eye.



News Article

Michael Richards' Mea Culpa Mediation

"Last week, the men, who have agreed to abide by whatever recommendation the judge makes, also appeared on the Today show to tell their side of the story."

What is to be mediated? If it's a mediation, why would the judge be making a recommendation? Is this an example of where a restorative justice orientation could productively shape a session?



If you were the mediator, what would you be thinking about in preparation for the session? And how would you handle it?

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Do Lawyers Sabotage the Mediation Process?

In the Philippines the courts are wrestling with an interesting question. They refer a wide variety of cases to mediation and have a 71% success rate. But now the question arises -- should lawyers be banned from the mediation conference?



Philippine News -- Manila Standard Today -- To have or not to have -- dec4_2006

The presence of lawyers together with their clients became the subject of animated, if not contentious, debate in the workshop of appellate court mediators because the proposal of Prof. Alfredo Tadiar, the chairman of the Appellate Court Mediation was that lawyers should be barred from the initial mediation conference in the appellate court. Professor Tadiar was coming from the position that in the trial courts, the lawyers have often been the cause of failure in mediation.

What's your take on this issue?

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