Haverford House

The past month or so has been filled with activity! From a smashing halloween party to a thanksgiving feast, we haverhouse folk have been entertaining ourselves among others on the reg. Rather than framing each moment with some imagined imagery, I will defer to the descriptive powers of photography.

Professor Kaye Edwards presenting at APHA 2011

Homemade dumplings!

This cat always has the last word, probably because it spends its time lounging around the the Last Word Bookstore in West Philadelphia

Bustling kitchen

mac n’ cheese master

plates full of thanks

so much food

tall glasses, long faces, full bellies

So this past week I attended a training at Good Shepherd Mediation Program in Germantown (NW Phila). GSMP works with the juvenile courts in Philly to try to divert cases out of the formal system so kids who successfully complete the program either will have the case dismissed or make it generally easier to expunge off of their record.

In addition, the victim/offender conferencing program is grounded in restorative philosophies — that is, an alternative approach to understanding and confronting crime. In restorative practices, the emphasis is not on punishment or identifying particular rules that have been broken, but instead on what the needs of the victim are to begin to heal, what the needs of the offender are as they move towards accepting responsibility for their actions, and how the harm that has occurred has affected the community that those people are a part of.

Now that I’ve completed the VOC training, I’ll be able to work w/ Good Shepherd to facilitate these conferences between youth, youth families/supporters, and the people that their actions have affected, in order to try and help the youth to “make things right.” I’m really excited to start my apprenticeship w/ Good Shepherd!

For more info about Good Shepherd Mediation Program, visit their website: www.phillymediators.org

Here’s a pic of my certificate of completion:

On November 15th, a citizens’ advocacy group will tell the story of their journey to repurpose the Reading Viaduct — an unused elevated train track that traverses the northern boundaries of Center City — into a multi-purpose park-in-the-sky. The movement began in 2003 and has since gained the support of Philadelphian government officials and citizens alike.

Event details:
Philadelphia’s Reading Viaduct Project, a panelist discussion
Tues, Nov. 15th, 6-8:30 pm
Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy
phillyviaduct.eventbrite.com

Check out the Reading Viaduct Project’s webpage for details about the movement.
And click here for a recent article that frames the Reading Viaduct Project within the growing “Rails to Trails” movement.

On Wednesday, Nov. 2, Jason & I held a film screening with folks from the Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project (YASP). Sarah Morris (HC ’05), and three youth organizers from YASP: Josh, Romeeka, & Andrew, attended the screening and spoke with Haverford & Bryn Mawr students, staff, and faculty.

The film, “Stolen Dreams,” is a year old now (just celebrated its first anniversary), and features the stories of youth who have been charged as adults for certain crimes and held in adult jails. One of YASP’s ultimate goals is to repeal or amend Act 33, a PA law that allows youth to be charged, held, and sentenced as adults.

For more info, check out YASP’s website: www.yasproject.com

Here are some photos from the event!

Dialogue with Sarah Morris and youth organizers from YASP

Introduction of "Stolen Dreams" from youth organizers

Sarah & Josh talking in more detail about the work that YASP does