Even More to Appreciate – Lydia’s internship learning 4 years later

Feb 3, 2025 | News, Volunteers

We were honored to welcome Lydia Tamrat to our team as an intern several years ago. Those of you connected to Advoz lately may remember Lydia who interned through the Shalom Project. Lydia stood out as a rock-star intern, excelling in nearly every aspect of the work. In a recent email exchange, Lydia shared her excitement with taking a new role as a mediation coordinator and offered the following reflection on the training and preparation she gained at Advoz:

”My time at Advoz was instrumental in shaping my career in conflict resolution. After leaving Advoz, I pursued a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Management in Israel, and now work as a Mediation Coordinator in Ireland. I share this to emphasize that, throughout my career, I have not experienced training as thorough, clear, and helpful as the ones I received at Advoz. Whether in academic or professional settings, I often refer back to the trainings I received at Advoz as key reference points. It is undeniable that a great deal of time and effort has been put into developing the training programs at Advoz, and they have been finely tailored to meet the needs of trainees.”

 

“In both my staff and facilitator roles at Advoz, I was consistently encouraged to grow and reflect- something I’ve carried with me both in my personal and professional life. Even as a new staff member, I was urged to think creatively and share my ideas. Advoz was always focused on growth and open to new perspectives, which helped me find my voice and appreciate the perspective I can bring to my conflict resolution work. This mindset has influenced me to regularly step back to reflect on my current work and on the best ways to continue serving my community.”

Read More from the Advoz Blog
Life Learning as an Advoz Intern – Kaylee Geesey

Life Learning as an Advoz Intern – Kaylee Geesey

Kaylee Geesey interned with Advoz in the spring of 2024 in conjunction with Millersville University's Social Work program. As I reflect on the time spent with Advoz, I am filled with gratitude and humbled at the growth I have seen in myself. I am the first person in...

Role-Modeling Restorative Practices

Role-Modeling Restorative Practices

As I write this blog, I am in my ninth week of interning with Advoz: Mediation & Restorative Practices. It has been a healing experience for me to work with Advoz staff and volunteers because they center relationships in all aspects of their work. I have witnessed...

Interning for Mediation: Riley Sloat

Interning for Mediation: Riley Sloat

I am Riley Sloat, and I am currently a senior at Elizabethtown Senior Highschool. I am interested in having a career as a mediator due to the business and Personal Law class I took in my sophomore year, wherein part of the curriculum was to do a mock...

Making Peace Workshop Referral

We just published an updated referral form for our Making Peace Workshop (below). As more partners in our juvenile justice system are again working in person, this is an incredibly valuable resource to build communication and conflict resolution skills in every...

Intern Stories: Meet Brelan Wilcher

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.

Working Upstream to Undo “Criminal Minds”

Working Upstream to Undo “Criminal Minds”

By Chris Fitz "Matthew” was only 13 years old. But this wasn’t his first run-in with the law. In our meeting, he fluently relayed the ways that adults in his neighborhood called the police about him—and how those complaints added up. He used terms like “complaint,”...

On Collaboration

On Collaboration

In the following post, I will explore what I learned about collaboration while creating the last two infographics in partnership with friends and Chris Fitz. This is the sequel to last week's blog post and the final in a series covering a new set of infographics....

On Creating Dialogue about Exclusionary Discipline in Education

On Creating Dialogue about Exclusionary Discipline in Education

Before I share what I learned while creating Zero Tolerance and Restorative Justice (RJ) in education for Advoz, allow me to introduce myself briefly. My name is Catherine Wise. I am a college student studying neuroscience and Spanish at the Texas Christian University...

Adjusting to Move Forward: 2019-20 Annual Report

Adjusting to Move Forward: 2019-20 Annual Report

As we reflect on the last 18 months, we want to thank each of you for helping Advoz arrive in 2021 in a stronger position than we were before COVID-19 first hit. Looking back to last year, right before the pandemic, we had experienced an organizational change with a...