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Strengthening Relationships, Building Community
November 2008
Greetings!
 
Another great Celebrate Diversity! event is coming November 9th. Families universally find it a wonderful afternoon filled with music, good food, and lots of fun.

From our perspective, it's also an opportunity to recognize the rich traditions and fine people who make our community vibrant and strong.

This year we honor our neighbors with roots in China, Russia, Sierra Leone, Egypt, and right here -- Native Americans.
- Editor
In This Issue
Mediation in the Egyptian Community
Six Leaders Generate Change
November Headlines & Jobs
On My Mind - Dom's Wanderings

Zakhary Brings Mediation to Her Community

Mariam Zakhary


This month we talked with Mariam Zakhary about her roots - Mariam's a Staten Islander with Coptic Orthodox Christian Egyptian roots. She joined the NY Center as a mediator last April and her church has organized the Egyptian program at Celebrate Diversity! November 9th.

"Life has not been easy for Middle Easterners since 9/11," says Mariam. "And, the Middle East is made up of many peoples and religions. We aren't one people. My church is one of the smallest minority groups both here and in Egypt."

Tensions run high even within this close knit group and people get passionate about their disputes. Increasingly, though, they know they can turn to the NY Center's Mediation Center for help. Mariam has handled about a half dozen conflicts from her community since she joined the Center. Most are interpersonal disputes, some with neighbors that deteriorated into name calling and racial slurs.

Some have found the Center because of Mariam, some through a referral by the NYPD, but some, she says, have been referred by other clients who went away relieved to have found solutions that will bring them peace.

Through mediation these satisfied clients have found they have a voice they feared wouldn't be heard. No one is telling them what to do. They are seeking solutions together. And, they find the confidentiality reassuring. The whole community doesn't get involved - no taking sides.

Mariam says she recommends mediation to her church members all the time. Whether the dispute is among family members, neighbors, fellow congregants, or parents and their teens, she knows it works. Especially when tension and suspicion runs high.


Six Leaders Generate Positive Changes

This year Celebrate Diversity will honor six leaders chosen by their communities as examples of the contributions their group makes to the richness of life on Staten Island. The honorees are: Chuan Teng (China), Arkadiy Fridman (Russia), Ahmed D. Kargbo (Sierra Leone), the Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe (Native Americans), and Dr. Samy F. Rizk (Egypt) and Christine Moore (Egypt).

Dom's sigMr. Chuan Teng (of Huguenot) is a much-collected master calligrapher and retired economist who has devoted much of his retirement to serving the Chinese community on Staten Island. Born in China in 1934, he grew up in the north of Guangtung and lived in Taiwan before moving to the United States in 1961. He and his family have lived on Staten Island for more than 35 years.

Chuan learned the basic elements of Chinese calligraphy when he was six years old from his father who was a poet and master calligrapher. Chuan won many prizes in calligraphy throughout his school years.

After undergraduate school in Taiwan, he earned a master's degree in Economics from Ohio University and worked as a financial system analyst serving companies such as Young and Rubicam and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Throughout his career he practiced calligraphy an hour or two every night. His works are now collected and displayed in many homes in the local Chinese community. He has passed along his love of the art by teaching classes at the Staten Island Chinese School (located at IS 73) and at the New York Chinese Scholar's Garden in Snug Harbor.

No stranger to politics, Mr. Teng served as the president of the Chinese American Voter's Association of Staten Island in 1987. He co-founded the Asian American Coalition of Staten Island, a political action group.

Mr. Teng has been married to his wife Charlene for 38 years and has a son, Michael, who works as news producer at CBS in Manhattan; a daughter, Michelle, who teaches at PS 22 on Staten Island, and a grandson, Alexander, 10, and granddaughter, Lily, 5.


Arkadiy FridmanArkadiy Fridman (of Dongan Hills) is president of the Staten Island Community Center. He was born in the Soviet Union in 1957. He attended the Hi-Military Academy and served in executive positions in the army until 1990. In 1991, he left the army and opened one of the first private companies in the former Soviet Union.

In 1993, he immigrated to the United States. After working in retail he decided to gather the people and resources to open a community center to serve Staten Islanders. In 2004, the beautiful building he worked so hard to build opened as a not-for-profit organization focusing on cultural, educational, and social improvements for Staten Island and the greater New York Community.

This year the NY State Assembly awarded the Staten Island Community Center, a non-profit organization under Russian-American leadership, a $4M grant for the expansion of its services.

Red Storm Drum and Dance Group
Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe was founded in 2002 as a Native American education performance group. The core members are: Founding member and Drum Keeper Robert Boldeagle, founding member and organizer Margie Boldeagle, and secretary and web master Ivette Alequin. Performing members are Robin Rivera, Red Thunder, Allie Bowman, and SunWolf. The members are from many different Native American cultures.

The Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe brings the beauty and understanding of the Native American culture to the public through drumming, dancing, music, story telling and sharing the history of Native Americans.

Red Storm Drum & Dance Troupe believes that through participation comes a greater understanding of the culture. Thus their performances always involve the audience in a gathering dance or by playing a part in their stories.

The Troupe has performed in many schools, public venues, and pow-wows in and out of New York State. They also host pow-wows open to the public here on Staten Island.


Ahmed KargboAhmed D. Kargbo (of Mariners Harbor) is the current President of United States-Sierra Leonean Association (USSLA) Inc., in Staten Island. Under his leadership, this new organization is registered and incorporated, and in the process of securing it's 501 (c) 3 status. He is also an executive board member of the Black Heritage Festival and led his organization in the first Annual Black Heritage Festival in 2007.

Mr. Kargbo was born in the West African country of Sierra Leone. He is the fourth of six siblings (four boys and two girls), and grew up in the midst of many cousins and nephews. He was born in a Muslim family and has maintained his religious practices.

Since childhood, Ahmed wanted to serve in the uniformed services. In the late 1980's, he joined one of his older sisters in Germany. After seeing the United States Armed Forces stationed there his desire for the uniform grew even stronger.

In the early 90's, Ahmed came to the United States and settled in Alexandria VA. In January of 1996, he enlisted in the US Marines where he served for eight years until his medical discharge in 2004.

Mr. Kargbo works as a Licensed Practical Nurse and has now earned a two year degree in Information Technology (IT). He is currently enrolled in an IT program at City Technical College in Brooklyn.

Mr. Kargbo has been working closely with other Island leaders to foster stronger community relationships. He balances that by reminding his team about the work they need to do for their less fortunate countrymen in Sierra Leone.


Dom's sigDr. Samy F. Rizk (of Morris Plains, NJ) serves as a model for many young Egyptian youth. He has a medical degree from Ain Shams University Medical College and has worked as an anesthesiologist in Egypt, England, and several institutions in the United States including the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center.

Dr. Rizk has many achievements and awards including receiving the North London Group of Anesthetists' Steri-seal prize in 1975 and publishing medical work/discoveries in his field.


Christine MooreChristine Moore (of Manhattan) is a soprano opera singer. She has performed in operas and concerts throughout the United States and Europe including playing Mimi in La Boheme with the Leipzig Opera and Madam Butterfly with the Central City Opera. Christine is a faculty member at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music where she teaches voice, vocal performance and opera workshop.

Born and raised in Sacramento, California she is the daughter of an Egyptian mother from Cairo and an American father. She spends a great deal of her time working in the Arab-American community in New York City serving as board secretary of the Arab-American Family Support Center and a board member of the New York Chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination committee. 


November Headlines

Councilman McMahonCongratulations to Dom Brancato. Councilman Michael McMahon selected Dom to be honored as one of six Italian-Americans contributing significantly to the Staten Island Community. We know how much Dom does for the community. It's a well-deserved honor.

Thanks for noticing, Councilman!

*****
Regina Shields, Training Institute manager, reports that the contentious election campaign has everyone thinking about conflict resolution and anger management. She's busy providing peer mediation training workshops at Olympus Academy, and McCowan High Schools. AHRC has just completed two anger management workshops for out of school youth. And, of course, conflict is what brings parents to the ACT classes for separating parents.

*****
SPOTLIGHT SERIES - Thursday, October 30, 2008 @ 5:30PM This month KIM KAVERN, Director of Safe Horizon's Domestic Violence Program on Staten Island, will help mediators understand the complex nature of domestic violence, recognize warning signs. She'll share practical advice you can apply when domestic violence issues arise during mediation sessions.RSVP to Gary Carsel   718-947-4037

*****

Do you know someone who'd like to work for the NY Center?
  • Program Manager - co-leader (with principal) of Olympus Academy in Canarsie. MSW, supervisory, and counseling experience required; should have experience working with at-risk adolescents in a school environment. Full time
  • Personal Advocates -   BA in social work or other human service field and youth development experience preferred. Part-time in Staten Island; full-time in Brooklyn.
  • Career and Education Counselor for our after school programs, full-time, masters-level and related experience preferred. Immediate start date, Staten Island.
  • Youth Council Facilitator - a part-time position in our high school after school program for an active leadership development group. BA and experience with at-risk teens a must. Salary commensurate with experience. Send cover letter/resume to Erin Keyes
  • Program Associates - part-time positions open working in elementary after school programs. Candidates must have some college and experience with elementary aged children. Salary $8-$10 per hour. Send cover letter/resume to Robert Busan



If you know someone interested in one of these positions, have them email their resume to Candace Gonzalez.


Please help us expand our circle of friends. Use the "Forward email" link below to send this newsletter to someone you think would be interested. Your friend's address is protected. We don't keep it and won't use or sell it.
ON MY MIND 
Dom's Wanderings
Dominick Brancato
When I was in elementary school my sandwiches were moistened with olive oil and peppers. I knew that some of my friends had mayonnaise in their sandwiches but I didn't taste it until I was in high school.

My parents taught me to respect the Irish, Polish and Africian American folks in our neighborhood. As a youngster, I'd never met a Muslim, Jew or Unitarian, but the seeds of respect for our differences had already been planted. And although I loved peppers and red sauce, I also treasured going to my friend's house for corned beef and cabbage or kielbasa and homemade pirogies.

As my world expanded I easily embraced the new and different. But, I also knew that as immigrants, my parents and grandparents had not always been accepted. Despite their hardships they chose to instill in us values of tolerance and respect.

They also taught by example. They spent countless hours volunteering - parish projects, a helping hand for neighbors, civic work. I'm sure that's a part of how I chose my life's work.

One should never underestimate the influence of a parent's words and deeds on the way their children will live their lives. As parents, we must make mindful choices about our conversations, family activities, friends, and behavior toward strangers. Our children take it all to heart.

I hope you will join us at Celebrate Diversity November 9th. It offers some great opportunities for instilling values in your children that will serve them and the world well in the future.

See you there.

Dom




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Our Calendar
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ACT Classes
Helping separating or divorcing parents  understand how to help their children cope with the changes. Each class meets twice: November 6&13; December 2nd and 9th, January 7th and 14th.


Spotlight on Mediation
Domestic Violence Issues in the Mediation Session
Thursday. October 30 5:30-7:30


Celebrate Diversity 2008!
Sunday, Nov. 9th
2-6 pm
Wagner College Gym

Travel from country to country by visiting the "marketplace" with a "passport." Learn a few facts about each of the highlighted cultures. Have your passport  "officially" stamped and  receive a free t-shirt. Enjoy a  diversity-themed puppet show, perfect for the younger attendees.

In addition to sampling foods from these countries, you'll be entertained with music and dance performances from each of the cultures. Attend the awards ceremony to cheer for the students who won the essay and banner contests focusing on their cultural roots.


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