|
HISTORY | OUR TEAM | YOUTH
ADVISORY BOARD ACCESS
TEAM: JODI
ELAINE OVCA Her passion and commitment to at-risk youth began in high school when she partnered with United Way of America to launch a program for high school students to raise their awareness of the needs of their community which resulted in an annual Youth Campaign. She continued her contribution through mentoring at-risk youth and fundraising and volunteering for numerous community organizations. Jodi’s advocacy for the District’s youth began when she was a member of the Georgetown University Law Center Juvenile Justice Clinic where she received extensive training as well as practical experience working with both juvenile victims and perpetrators. This opened her eyes to the plight of at-risk juveniles in the District struggling to survive with inadequate support systems and resources. Since then, Jodi has had the privilege of working with the District’s youth as a mentor, teacher and mediator promoting alternatives to violence and conflict management skills in partnership with numerous community and government programs. She oversaw the Office of Attorney General Youth Mediation Program which successfully mediated victim/offender cases with a 98 percent resolution rate and a 95 percent agreement sustainability rate. She believes being a part of any child’s life, particularly during their most challenging experiences, is an opportunity to build mutual trust and respect. It is an honor each time a young person opens their heart and trusts enough to share their story, fears, hopes and dreams and allows us to help them. She has also mentored, recruited and trained numerous volunteer and student mediators, highlighting techniques and approaches targeted to address the unique challenges of mediating with juveniles, particularly confidentiality requirements. Her passion is building teams and cultivating an atmosphere of collaboration and support through innovative solutions that enhance individual performance and organizational effectiveness. As an attorney, mediator and trainer with diverse experience, Jodi has developed and provided extensive training in communication skills, conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation for private industry, non-profit organizations, education and local and federal government agencies. Jodi is an Adjunct Professor at The George Washington University Law School. Ms. Ovca received her Bachelor of Arts in Mandarin Chinese and French from Wellesley College and her Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center. In her own words: I founded ACCESS Youth DC for each juvenile to have access to anything and anyone they need to open them to a world of unlimited possibilities. A world where each child has access to the support and resources to envision a life where they can be anything, go anywhere, and discover all that rests inside themselves. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe. LILLIAN
LEE-CHUN Lillian graduated from McGill University with a degree in International Development. She is currently a student at American University, Washington College of Law (WCL) with a focus on alternative dispute resolution. She serves as an executive board member of the Society for Dispute Resolution at WCL. She is excited to be part of ACCESS and its efforts to bring new opportunities to youth and the DC community. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe. CAITLIN
CONNELLY I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe.
Kristina graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland-College Park in 2007 with a B.A. in Government and Politics and minors in French and History. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe. ERIN
TROY Erin has been committed to working with the District of Columbia’s youth since moving to Washington, DC in 1995. While attending Georgetown University, Erin began working with HIV-positive youth through Grandma’s House, mentoring and tutoring at-risk youth through various after-school programs and volunteering at soup kitchens throughout the city. Upon graduation, Erin received a Dean’s Citation for Community Service for her service to Georgetown University and the Washington, DC community. During law school, Erin worked as a court advocate for battered women and their children through Project Horizon. Erin is currently mentoring at-risk youth through Mentors Inc. and mentoring and advising law students in the Community Development Clinic at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. She continually seeks out new opportunities to work directly with youth to help address and manage conflict and is thrilled to be a part of ACCESS Youth. Erin received her Bachelor’s of Science in Business Administration and Sociology from Georgetown University and her Juris Doctor from Washington & Lee University School of Law. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe. ETHAN
FINELY He has worked in varying capacities with or for the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, Face to Face/Faith to Faith (Auburn Theological Seminary), the Amazon Alliance, and the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. He is co-founder of Being Heard and Building Relationships, an initiative helping to bring conflict resolution skills training and dialogue focused on the issue of immigration to Northern Virginia. He has had experience
with aspects of the justice systems affecting youth as a teacher
in a court-referred alternative high school program and as a victim’s
advocate working with police. He has also interfaced with youth
as an ESL coach, a bilingual (English/Spanish) tutor, and as an
instructor of music and theater arts. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe JIHAN
MADYUN While pursuing her Master’s of Social Work at the Howard University School of Social Work, she completed her field education at KidsPeace Foster Care & Family Services working with therapeutic foster youth, and at CHOICE Academy, an alternative and suspension school co-facilitating psycho-educational groups with middle school students in the District. These experiences further developed her knowledge of youth development as well as the myriad of challenges and obstacles that youth face. During the summer of 2009, Jihan worked in partnership with the DC Metropolitan Police Department as part of a diversion program for youth, ages 14 to 19. Alongside Access Program Director, Bryanne Gilkinson, Jihan helped create a curriculum focused on helping youth develop conflict resolution skills, trust, identity, communication, relationship, and future planning skills. Currently, as a Licensed Social Worker with the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in the District, Jihan works with youth aging out of the foster care system. As the last face of contact with youth in the foster care system, Jihan hopes to have a lasting and positive impact on the youth she serves, helping them develop life skills and permanent connections. Jihan brings her passion and commitment to working with youth in the District, and is excited to be a part of the mission of ACCESS Youth. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe AARON
HOLLINGER During his high school years, Aaron has been involved in many community service projects and internships. Throughout his freshman and sophomore years at Coeus International School, Aaron served as co-teacher in the aftercare program and helped with general accounting work. The summer before his junior year and first year at BCC, Aaron was an intern at Global Fairness Initiative. Following the internship, he participated in a Witness for Peace (WFP) Teen Delegation to Nicaragua where he witnessed first hand the effects of many international trade policies on marginalized countries. Most recently, Aaron volunteered at Springhouse Assisted Living Center in Bethesda. In his junior year, Aaron was selected to participate in the Lazarus Leadership Fellows Program. Lazarus Fellows receive training and a stipend to design and implement an independent community service project. Aaron and his partner, Dante Iarola, carried out a fair trade fund raising and awareness campaign. Their project featured a documentary on fair trade, which they filmed in Nicaragua and screened at a fund raising event. Many of the people featured in the documentary were the people Aaron visited on the WFP Delegation. They also organized a Restaurant Fair Trade Week in which five restaurants donated a portion of their profit to the cause. Aaron is now pursuing an internship opportunity at the Social Investment Fund as a way of exploring his interests in social entrepreneurship and business. Aaron is an IB Diploma Candidate and plans to graduate from BCC High School in May 2010. I am an ACCESS Team Member because I believe. |
Caitlin Connelly has a passion for helping people improve the way
they communicate and relate with one another, in order to create
more peaceful and productive communities. She has extensive experience
in mediation, facilitation, and program development and administration.
Caitlin graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in politics,
during which time she spend a semester abroad in Ireland studying
conflict resolution and peacebuilding. At the Community Dispute
Resolution Center in Ithaca, NY, Caitlin served as the youth and
family program coordinator, where she worked with a network of local
young people and youth-serving organizations in order to develop
and deliver innovative programs and trainings, enabling young people
and their families to communicate more effectively and resolve problems
in their lives. Caitlin went on to work at the Center for Dispute
Settlement in Washington, DC, where she coordinated a police officer-citizen
mediation program; a criminal misdemeanor mediation program; and
a victim-juvenile offender mediation program. She is currently enrolled
at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Syracuse,
NY, completing a master’s degree in Public Administration,
with concentrations in public management and applied conflict resolution.
KRISTINA
ROSINSKY
