About the NY Center for Interpersonal Development

Our Mission: Strengthening Relationships, Building Community

The NY Center is located in Staten Island, NY and provides services throughout the Metro-NY region.

In 1970, the NY Center opened as the Rap Center on New Dorp Lane – a place for young people to congregate and explore their personal issues. Those were years of social upheaval. The NY Center’s founders wanted Staten Island youth to have a place to go that was safe and responsible adults to guide them.

In 1982, the NY Center added the Community Dispute Resolution Center. We began training community volunteers in mediation and other methods of conflict resolution.

In the years since, we have added peer mediation, after-school and out-of school programs, alternative schools (in partnership with the NYC Department of Education), parenting classes, and supervised visitation services.

These two themes – youth development and conflict resolution – are the threads that tie all our services together. They are fundamental to our mission of strengthening relationships and building community

We incorporate conflict resolution into all of our programs and teach conflict resolution and mediation.

The Community Dispute Resolution Center has expanded to mediate cases from Civil, Family, Housing, and Supreme Courts. We also provide workplace, education, Lemon Law, and custody and visitation mediation.

We provide school-based peer mediation services and consult with schools who want to establish their own peer mediation programs.

You can call us for help with workplace, neighborhood, and home-owners association disputes, family disputes, and for teen/parent mediation.

The Mosaic Coalition builds bridges across the diverse populations that make up our community.

Our Training Institute offers both community education and professional development opportunities.

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You can reach any of our programs at 718-815-4557.

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Board Members

Sam Panepinto, Chair

John Minardo, Co-Chair

Verna Lauria, Co-Chair

Joe Ambrosole, Treasurer

Ruth Wahtera, Secretary

William Orlando

Joan Rannie

Mohammed Khalid, DDS

Senior Staff

Dominick J. Brancato, Executive Director

Candace Gonzalez, Senior Director of Operations

Robert Busan, Director of Community Programs

Sequoia Stalder, Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution Services