Using practices centered around Mediation and Restorative Justice, Advoz centers around healing the harm caused within the community. In one way, it aims to achieve this by serving as a bridge that two or more individuals can cross to resolve conflicts through their mediation programs. The organization also partners with the Juvenile Justice System to speak with individuals who have caused harm to the community and help them take steps to make things right.
Having the opportunity to intern at Advoz has allowed me to grow in several significant ways. I have learned the importance of validating the thoughts and feelings of others. By attending the trainings as an intern, I learned the organization’s Mediation and Restorative Justice curriculum and how to utilize Zoom and other resources to support such training. I have learned my strengths and weaknesses and what those look like when working together on a team. Initially, when I applied to intern, I assumed that I would only learn how to develop some skills related to my major in social work. Instead, the skills that I have developed here have transformed how I interact with people, those I work with and those in my personal life, and perhaps most of all, my values have changed to align with Advoz’s philosophy.
