Huge Issue between the U.S. and Japan International parental child abduction is on the rise all over the world, as international marriages are rapidly increasing. For years, child abduction from the United States to Japan has been a huge issue, not only on individual and societal levels, but also on a diplomatic level between the …

by Sean Dwyer, Assistant Program Director So we enter into the next phase of the Restorative Justice process, as much in a given case as in the program’s implementation in general. In the first official RJ case, we have continued to work with the parties, carried out a circle and now are into the follow …

by Karina Cordero, Conflict Mediation Specialist Alternative methods of conflict resolution, such as mediation, have grown in popularity in recent years due to their low cost and less time consuming solutions as compared to the traditional court system. However, during my time at APADRC I have discovered that one of the most valuable aspects of …

by Sean Dwyer, Assistant Program Director Communicating is a necessary practice whenever human beings engage in any kind of social activities. Planning ahead, carrying out the activity and evaluating how it went afterwards remain at best imaginings if they do not at least take the form of discussion. There is of course always a risk that our …

David Birch Having recently graduated law school, my perception of the world and the various circumstances within it has changed. Before sitting the New York bar in February I have accepted a position as a conflict resolution specialist (mediator) at the APADRC, given my interest in mediations and conflict resolution. The experience I am getting …

by Hansol Choi, Conflict Mediation Specialist We are very excited to introduce our new multi-lingual team of Conflict Resolution Specialists this fall as a part of our Community& Intergroup Conflicts Program. Joining us are David (Portugese/ Spanish), Yuxi (Mandarin/Cantonese), Hosoo (Korean), Ana Valeria (Spanish), Harrison (Korean), Sakie (Japanese), Andy (Mandarin), Hansol (Korean), Kantong (Cantonese/Mandarin), Karina (Spanish), …

Darin Witkovic Unlike the majority of the volunteers at the APADRC, I am not an aspiring lawyer or law student. In fact, I would have never discovered the organization if I hadn’t been looking over resumes at my current place of employment. I come from a mental health background with most of my experience and …

by Katherine Pham Conflict Resolution Specialist The APADRC has a strong sense of community, in that individuals who have sought help from us in the past have known that they can rely on us to help them in the future as well. James is one such individual who has had a lasting relationship with the …

by Sean Dwyer Assistant Program Director What a day I had on Thursday July 24, 2014! As a reasonable addition to my bike and my bus pass, I got a Zip Car account, so I could zip, as they say, to Restorative Justice meetings both downtown and in the San Gabriel Valley. And I had …

Restorative Justice in the Community by Sean Dwyer, Assistant Program Director It is nearly impossible to imagine a positive experience in the prison system. There is always the possibility of reading many books, working out, perhaps even taking school courses, but the experience for the majority of inmates is encouragement towards an ongoing path of …