2024.10 NYACP Newsletter Fall 2024

NYACP NEWS ~ Fall 2024

Volume 6, Issue 4

In this Issue

President's Message
NYACP Board of Directors
Member Spotlight
NYACP Pods
Support Groups for Collaborative Practice (SGCP)
Committees

A MESSAGE FROM OUR 2024 NYACP PRESIDENT

By Melissa Goodstein, Esq.

The season of fall is often associated with change, growth, and renewal. NYACP’s leadership is also changing with sadly Abby Curro retiring effective November 1 and Sarah Sheehan will be replacing her as our new executive director. Abby has been an extremely valuable asset to NYACP, and we are so sad to see her go. However, we are confident that Sarah will be a good fit for us and pleased with Sarah’s credentials and welcome the enthusiasm that she brings to her work. We wish Abby all the best as new begins this new chapter in her life.

As the leaves change colors and fall to the ground, it symbolizes the shedding of the old and making way for the new. In collaborative practice, the concept of Fall can be applied in several ways: 1. Change: Just as the leaves change colors in the Fall, the collaborative process supports change and helps find new solutions to their conflicts and build hope for a better future. It is a time to let go of old ways of thinking and open up to new possibilities. 2. Growth: Fall is a season of growth, as plants prepare for the coming winter by strengthening their roots and storing energy. In collaborative practice, parties can grow and learn from their conflicts, gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and each other in the process. 3. Renewal: Fall is a time of renewal, as nature prepares for the cycle of rebirth in the spring. In the collaborative process, parties have the chance to renew their relationships and find a fresh start through respectful communication and mutual understanding. Overall, the meaning of Fall can serve as a reminder for collaborative professionals to embrace the positivity of change, foster growth, and seek renewal in their practice and personal life.

For NYACP professionals this Fall our hard working and dedicated board, and committees have developed a full line up of training and education programs, networking/social events and peer supervision supporting NYACP’s mission; Empowering members to achieve excellent in Collaborative Skills and Practice. This is furtherance of our vision: NYACP Members will be widely recognized by clients and colleagues for excellence in Collaborative Divorce in the New York metropolitan area. Our mission and vision are firmly rooted in these core values:
• Achieve excellence in developing and perfecting Collaborative skills
• Embrace dignity and respect in our relationships with divorcing couples and our colleagues
• Have compassion and empathy for divorcing couples and their children
• Be creative, open-minded, honest and transparent.
• Build trust in our collaborative community

It is our hope that with this transition from the more relaxed days of summer to the busier autumn season we can inspire members to re-focus and support NYACP’s Mission, Vision and Values. It is a time to approach work with a fresh perspective and a commitment to helping families in our community navigate the challenges of divorce with dignity while preserving the family ties that unite us all.

The crisp air of fall also brings with it a sense of coziness and comfort, a time when we gather with our loved ones and enjoy hearty meals together. Cooking during this season often involves ingredients like pumpkin, warm spices, and comfort foods that evoke feelings of warmth and nostalgia. These flavors not only provide physical nourishment but also nourish our souls, reminding us of the importance of community and family. Comfort foods, such as soups, stews, and casseroles, are staples of fall cooking and are often shared with friends and family. These dishes not only provide sustenance but also create a sense of togetherness and connection as we gather around the table to enjoy a meal. Connection has the power to relieve stress which is especially important for challenging work we do as collaborative professionals. For me, cooking for family and friends helps reduce my stress and with the abundance of Fall holidays, celebrations and gatherings Fall is and has always been my favorite season. The sensory experience of cooking from chopping, to listening to pots and pans welcoming and marrying ingredients, to smelling the roasting, sauteing, baking is an effective way for me to express my creativity, show my love and detach from a world that is not always easy to understand. Overall, the flavors and aromas of fall cooking symbolize the warmth and comfort of community and family, reminding us of the joys of coming together and sharing in the abundance of the season.

Here is a Fall recipe I come back to every season to nourish my soul and fill my senses, Melissa Clark’s Red Lentil Soup. Enjoy and wishing you a Happy Fall!

Ingredients:
I large onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced 1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 T good olive oil
1 t ground cumin
½ t Kosher salt plus possibly more after tasting
¼ t ground black pepper
¼ t chili powder (your choice; we used a mild New Mexico variety)
1 c split red lentils (masoor dal)
4 c chicken or vegetable stock
Additional water as desired*
1 T lemon juice (or substitute 1 t ground sumac)
2 T finely chopped cilantro or mint optional or Aleppo pepper
Heavy bottom large pot. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil till translucent, around 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste spices and sauté 2 more minutes till everything is reduced and aromatic. Add carrots, lentils and stock and simmer till the carrots are just tender, around 30 minutes. Transfer half the soup to a blender or use an immersion blender to purée so the soup is mostly smooth and even texture but still has lumpy bits. Add lemon juice or sumac and taste for seasoning; Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or mint, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle Aleppo pepper.


YOUR BOARD AT WORK

Your NYACP Board meets every two months on the Second Thursday. We just had or first in person meeting in Manhattan since COVID. We are excited to report that our membership is continually expanding. We now have grown to over 125 members and are grateful to have many new members from the Hudson Valley. We look forward to getting to know all of you. Please get involved with our many committees.

Your Board persistently works to develop educational and social programming that will encourage and enable you to become actively involved in networking and developing relationships that will foster the development of your Collaborative practice. Read on to learn more about what is happening…

After working - hours building relationships!

 


MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Jay Mota, MAFF®, CDFA®, CFP®, CQS®, ChFC®, WMCP®

Jay Mota was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. He is married with four children and is a Veteran of the US Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. His educational background includes studies at NYU, Fordham University, and The American College of Financial Services, with business management and strategic communication degrees. Jay has over 27 years of experience in the financial industry and is the founder of Divorce Logic.

His Certifications include:

• Master Analyst in Financial Forensics (MAFF®)
• Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®)
• Certified QDRO Specialist (CQS®)
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
• Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®)
• Wealth Management Certified Professional (WMCP®)
• Trained Family Mediator, and
• Collaborative Law Professional

As a Divorce Financial Forensic Expert, Jay works with clients in mediation, the collaborative process, or in a contested divorce. Jay specializes in reviewing and analyzing the financials and the financial situation of the parties thinking about, going through, or finalizing a divorce. He provides insight, analysis, projections, and strategies for clients and attorneys in the hopes they are able to settle their cases. However, in the event a settlement is not possible, Jay is qualified to testify in court, where his role is to simplify the complex financial situations of the parties so the court can more easily understand the financial complexities through forensic analysis of the parties’ lifestyles, taxes, assets, property tracing, and equitable distribution.

Lili Vasileff,  CFP®, MAFF, CDFA® 

Lili Vasileff,  CFP®, MAFF, CDFA® is proud to participate as a Trainer in the Mosten Guthrie Academy Inaugural Collaborative Practice Training, a dynamic three-day program from Oct 23 to Oct 25, led by esteemed experts in the field: Forrest “Woody” Mosten, Anne Robinson Lucas MA LMHC, alongside renowned guest presenters, including Harvard's Collaborative Law expert David Hoffman, Adam Cordover, Marguerite Picard, Betsy Vaszquez, and IACP Immediate Past-President Brian Galbraith.

One of the most important things we can do as Collaborative professionals is take care of ourselves (this is not easy work), and build our relationships. Our own Steve Linker shares how he enjoys spending some of his time off, as well as an invitation for you to join him.

Stephen Linker's Thoughts on Hiking

Hiking has been one of my hobbies for several decades, including national parks, NYS parks, and local parks. One of my bucket list items is to visit (or revisit) and hike in many of the National Parks as well as New York's 250 State Parks. In New York, there are probably parks in all of our pod areas.

If you as I do have a love of Nature and hiking or think you might like to find out if you do, contact me. We could kick around some ideas in a Zoom meeting. Let's plan one trip and see where it leads us. A tour could be arranged by a tour operator, or we could simply arrange a date and time among ourselves.

Let's get outdoors together!


NYACP PODS

POD Meetings are monthly. Please check the full calendar on our website for topics, dates and times. PODS, which meet monthly via a virtual format, make this opportunity accessible to all of our members regardless of where you reside. PODS are a wonderful way to learn, grow, and develop relationships with your fellow Collaborative Colleagues. Looking forward to seeing you all of you taking advantage of this great member benefit. Thank you to all of our Pod leaders! 

NEW YORK CITY POD

On the second Tuesday of each month, the NYC POD group hosts interactive learning opportunities for our members (held via Zoom. You don’t have to be in NYC to attend!). Thanks to Judy Stein for all you do to keep the momentum going!


On September 10, 2024, the NYC Pod hosted the first meeting to kick off Fall with a presentation by our own Sallie Mulllins, about Tax Traps for the Marital Separation Agreement, Part 2. - This presentation discussed various tax glitches that can occur in drafting the marital separation agreement and ways to avoid them so that your clients don’t experience unexpected future tax surprises. Topics ranged from real estate factors, retirement plans, investments accounts, property transfers, spousal support, and income tax return related issues were covered.

Sallie Mullins Thompson is a CPA, CFP, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), and tax strategist, with over two decades of experience in the financial services profession. She assists families, business owners, and individuals, in the NYC and Washington, DC metropolitan areas, with all elements of their financial lives – from tax to investments to savings to planning to life transitions and has a special interest in women who are navigating the divorce process. As a CPA financial planner, CFP, and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), Sallie Mullins Thompson handles the money end of divorce – before, during, and after. She assists families in navigating divorce by drawing a road map for them; evaluates budgets, income, what’s owned, and what’s owed; prepares long-term financial projections; and focuses on both parties ending up with enough money to live. On a personal level, Sallie is the doting grandmother of her two beautiful grandchildren and lives near them in DC with her adorable cat, Snuggles. 


NORTHERN WESTCHESTER POD

On September 18, 2024 Micki McWade LMSW Presented: The Year of the Lightworker.  Given all of the tumultuous events over the past several years that are happening all around us, in addition to the very demanding work that we do, we must find ways to manage and cope. Micky McWade offered a wonderful mechanism to help us find calm in the storm. Light practice is an effective, non-partisan technique that reduces anxiety and protects and defends our country at the same time. According to Micki, we all know we can change the energy in a negative situation. We do it every day when we mediate or collaborate. We are expanding that energy to create peace across the political divide in the United States. Add this to an existing practice or learn how to develop one. No experience necessary. All who do our work are Lightworkers and already are quite advanced. Let’s do more!

Micki McWade, LMSW

Micki is a Collaborative Divorce Family Specialist, psychotherapist, author, parent coordinator and clinical social worker with a practice in New York that focuses on divorce issues. She works with matrimonial attorneys to help clients divorce with dignity as part of the interdisciplinary team model of Collaborative Divorce. She has an extensive background in divorce, having founded and developed the Twelve Step Divorce Recovery Group model which ran weekly from 1993 to 2020 as well as participating in hundreds of Collaborative cases. She supervised the development of other Twelve Step Divorce Recovery groups and has taught Parents Apart classesfor the Putnam County court, which help parents recognize and avoid the pitfalls of divorce for children. 

Micki has served on the board of the New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and on the executive committee of the Hudson Valley Collaborative Divorce Association. Micki has been on the faculty of numerous national conferences and her books include Getting Up, Getting Over, Getting On: A Twelve Step Guide to Divorce Recovery, Daily Meditations for Surviving a Breakup, Separation or Divorce, Healing You, Healing Me: A Divorce Support Group Leader’s Guide andMoving Towards Mastery in Collaborative Divorce.

NYACP's Northern Westchester Pod will present a Member Zoom Meeting every third Wednesday at 9:00am of each month with a hiatus during the summer.


LONG ISLAND POD

October 1 Presentation: The Basics of Business Valuation
Glenn S. Liebman, CPA/ABV - Partner, KLG Business Valuators & Forensic Accountants, LLC

Glenn Liebman of KLG Business Valuations and Forensic Accountants and valued member of NYACP spoke to the Long Island pod in October on various levels of business valuation.  He discussed fair market value even for non-tranferable businesses and those with good will.  He talked about how the length of the marriage, contributions to the business affect the marital percentage.  This also had an interplay between tangible assets and income of the business owner.  There were many scenarios and questions asked of Glenn, so much so that the presentation may continue for another time, either  another long island pod or a webinar for the entire membership.  Glenn’s wealth of information and helpfulness in sharing his knowledge in an understandable way was well received by our attendees.

Glenn Liebman is a CPA who is accredited in business valuation and is a managing partner at the firm KLG Business Valuators & Forensic Accountants. Glenn brings over 27 years of experience and has worked on over 1,500 matrimonial matters across mediations, collaborative and litigated matters. His experience covers a variety of areas including business valuation, forensic accounting, separate property analysis and tracing, lifestyle and budget analysis, net worth statement preparation, tax consulting and assisting with dividing assets in a practical and tax efficient manner. Glenn prides himself in taking a practical approach and presenting complex concepts in an uncomplicated manner to assist professional and parties in achieving a mutually beneficially settlement of the finances of their matters.

If you would like more information about the Long Island Pod, contact [email protected].


NYACP SGSP

All NYACP Members are encouraged to take the opportunity to join a Support Group. Participation will provide you with the experience of joining with other members in our community to connect in a more in-depth way regarding our work and best practices. This is separate from our POD Groups. These are closed groups and they require a commitment. This commitment includes being responsible for presenting, and addressing some of the complexities that can arise. On your Collaborative matters. This can be a vulnerable undertaking and building trust and understanding with our colleagues is an essential part of why these groups are valuable. We all know how challenging our work can be. If you are interested in joining a SGCP, contact [email protected]

Lower Westchester Support Group - Steve Kaplan [email protected] and Ellen Jancko-Baken [email protected] are leaders. Meetings are on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:30-6:30

Northern Westchester Support Group - Meg Sussman [email protected] and Melissa Goodstein [email protected]

Metro NY Support Group - Katherine Miller [email protected]

NYC Support Group - Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month at 5:00pm facilitated by Bob Raymond [email protected] and Rachel Green [email protected]. Meetings the second Tuesday of the month at 9:30am are facilitated with Barbara Rothberg [email protected].

Mental Health Support Group – Facilitated by Jeffrey Steiger and Bob Raymond The last MHP Support Group meeting was informative and supportive. It contributed to our understanding of the work we do, and the work that needs to be done. On September 24th, a lively discussion was held about how we do our work with our Teams, how we keep the momentum going, deal with parties who are in different places in their process, and manage the matters so they are efficient and cost effective. We also discussed the importance of our Attorney colleagues understanding the value we bring to the process and helping the clients to understand how we “fit.” We missed those of you who could not attend, and we appreciate all who did. Register on the NYACP website and get the link. These meetings are held Quarterly on Tuesday mornings from 7:45am-9:00am. Our next MHP meeting is on September 24, 2024. Only NYACP members qualify to participate in this group. Look out for the announcements.


COMMITTEES

NYACP TRAINING AND EDUCATION COMMITTEE

The Training and Education Committee continues their work planning educational programming that will enhance our member experience, and enable members to improve your knowledge, skills, and Collaborative practice. At the same time, these programs, whether in person or virtually, provide our members with the opportunity to network, get to know one another. Educational programs include periodic advanced collaborative practice trainings averaging once a month from Sept to June every year for all professionals by non -members and members, basic collaborative divorce training for prospective new members by members annually or every other year and annual day of collaborative process training and annual meeting.  The committee is given a budget approved by board on an annual basis and programs are designed to enable members to achieve excellence in collaborative practice. The committee strives to provide trainings in response to membership interests and topical issues relative to our collaborative practices. Trainings take place at locations in NYC, Westchester and on Long Island, with location and platform for a particular training taking into consideration preferences of trainers, sponsors, likely attendees, cost and other factors.  The Committee meets monthly September-June on the first Thursday of the month from 12 to 1pm via Zoom.  Most programs will provide CLEs, CMEs. And CEUs (Sponsored by Family Kind).

September 17, 2024 – The Education and Training Committee presented Part 1 in a series of Skills Development Trainings - The First Meeting - Moderated by: Anthony Markus, Esq., Meg Sussman, Ph.D.,  and Ivan Alter, Esq. – other participants included Marcos Fernandez, Esq., Melissa Goodstein, Esq., and Nancy Kaye, CPA - The Education and Training Committee of NYACP designed these sessions to tap our vast communal knowledge about the ins and outs of collaborative practice. Using lively demonstrations, panel discussions and community forums, NYACP members shared their collective experiences about what worked, what didn’t and what to watch out for.


UPCOMING EVENTS - SAVE THE DATES! 

2024 NYACP ANNUAL MEETING AND TRAINING

The NYACP Annual Meeting to be held on 12-12-24 in NYC at NYC Bar Building with Dr. Charles Chaffin, Behavioral Economist. The Annual Meeting will begin with a networking luncheon at 11:30. a.m. Please see our website for more details.

Business Meeting ~ Networking Lunch ~ Professional Training ~ Evening Reception
CLE and CFP Credits will be available by NYACP
CE Credits for Mental Health Professionals via FamilyKind
Family Kind is an approved NYS provider of Continuing Education Credits for Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Licensed Psychologists


Split Viewing 

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about the impact of divorce through the eyes of the children. This is a wonderful presentation that will provide you with tremendous insight for yourselves as professionals and to share with your divorcing parents. The Education Committee will identify a venue in Southern Westchester that can accommodate a film screening such as Picture House. Ellen Bruno (Director) will be available via Zoom for a panel discussion.  Date and time TBD. Please watch out for future announcements. 


MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

Over the past year NYACP has had a host of new members. Welcome to all of you! Member benefits are very important to the NYACP Board. To that end, we urge all of you to get involved as a member of the Membership Committee, or it’s sub-committees (the GCC- Grow the Collaborative Circle, the Events Committee, the Mentorship Committee, or our committee that organizes our Collaborative Connection Luncheons in the various regions). Whether you are a committee member, or are participating in our functions, we on the committees believe that doing so will enhance your experience at NYACP!

The Committee is very actively involved in planning events with professional groups outside of the Collaborative arena who may benefit from joining us in spreading the word about Collaborative Practice, either directly or indirectly. Some of our upcoming events include and are not limited to social events, presentations about Collaborative Practice, Regional luncheons for our members, and the engagement with, support for and mentoring of new and existing members so that you feel a part of our organization. There is also a new Buddy Program in place for incoming new members. Take advantage of what’s being offered. You will be glad that you did!

The Membership Committee: Ellen Jancko-Baken – Chair, Catherine Canade, Jacqueline Caputo, Ariella Deutsch, Marcos Fernandez, Shara Goldfarb, Adam Halper, Randy Heller, Michelle Lewis, Stephen Linker, Bob Raymond

Events Subcommittee

The Events Subcommittee of the Membership Committee is focusing on planning the social piece of the annual meeting in December. We will plan a social/icebreaker activity, select a charitable cause for donations, and arrange for entertainment, possibly music. There will be a “Speed Meet and Greet” for everyone to connect. We received great feedback from last year’s event and look forward to more of the same this year! Stacy Collins, Stephen Linker, Ellen Jancko Baken, Michelle Lewis, Randy Heller, and Ivy Menchel are members of the Events Subcommittee.

Grow the Collaborative Circle Membership Subcommittee (GCC)

On September 11, 2024, the GCC, Shara Goldfarb, organized a presentation to the Westchester Women’s Bar Association featured an interdisciplinary team of NYACP members Kathleen Donelli, Randy Heller, Shara Goldfarb, Melissa Goldstein, and Barbara Bel who spoke about How to Integrate or Transition Your Matrimonial Practice to a Collaborative Law Practice. The presentation explained the process as well as emphasized the benefits of Collaborative Practice for our clients and for ourselves. The discussion was moderated by Andrea Friedman and well attended by the WWBA. We strongly encouraged these attorneys to consider (at minimum) including Collaborative Practice in their consultations with their clients, becoming trained, and joining us in our mission to preserve families as they restructure their lives. Thank you, Shara, for your hard work on putting this together!

In an effort to Grow the Collaborative Circle (GCC), our members are reaching out to various groups of interest. Marcos Fenandez, Esq.  and Randy Heller, PhD have been reaching out to Law School Students, as well as students enrolled in ADR programs to introduce them and teach them about the benefits of Collaborative practice. These students are the potential next generation of Collaborative Professionals. They are also wonderful referral sources. In late October, Marcos and Randy will present for a third time to the students at Seton Hall University School of Law in October. If you know of any Law, or Graduate students in Mental Health or Business who show an interest in our process and want to be trained, there is now the Kevin Scudder Higher Education Scholarship Fund in place to financially support their training. Please send inquiries to Randy Heller at [email protected]

In mid October, Randy Heller will be interviewed on a podcast intended to reach members of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT), speaking about the distinctions between Mediation and Collaborative Practice and the benefits for families of utilizing Alternative Dispute resolution methods as opposed to litigation. This podcast will get the word out to university graduate programs in Mental Health (particularly Couples and Marriage and Family Therapists)  to encourage these students (who are on the front lines working with many people contemplating divorce) to become involved and speak about Collaborative practice with their clients, as a better alternative for their families.

Meet and Greet with the FDMC and NYSCDM

The GCC tirelessly worked on the Meet and Greet with the Family and Divorce Mediation Council (FDMC) of Greater New York and the New York State Council on Divorce Mediation (NYSCDM), which took place on October 10th, at the Park Imperial Clubroom, 230 West 56th Street, New York, New York. A special shout out to our own share Goldfarb for taking the lead on making this happen!

Great connections were made and prior relationships were strengthened as we gathered together, shared conversation, broke bread, and talked about our mission and common goals of being peacemakers. A wonderful time was had by all. There was a full house, and we actually had to turn people away!


The GCC cordially welcomes you to attend and asks you to register for the event if you have not done so already GCC Members: Marcos Fernandez (Chair), Shara Goldfarb, Randy Heller, Ariella Deutsch, Jacqueline Caputo.

NYACP Collaborative Connection Lunches

If you are a collaborative professional looking to expand your connections with your collaborative colleagues, join us for our bi-monthly meet ups for lunch, coffee, or drinks after work. The NYACP Membership Committee is launching gatherings in Westchester, Long Island and Manhattan to offer an easy way to get to know your collaborative counterparts better with a simple RSVP. These small group (eight person) meet ups will offer a wonderful opportunity to connect with collaborative colleagues you might not already know, share experiences and insights, and learn more about one another both personally and professionally. Invitations are sent out by the office for each scheduled meet up, and the first eight NYACP members to register will reserve a spot for the next meet up at a designated time and location. These meet ups offer a great chance to build up you professional and personal network and to find support and encouragement in helping families who have chosen the collaborative process. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with your peers and get more involved in the NYACP.

It’s a GREAT WAY to build relationships with your Collaborative Colleagues!

What a wonderful experience and way to say “Happy Friday” at our Collaborative Connections lunch in NYC! So great to build these connections and get to know our colleagues on a deeper level! Hopefully we are developing friendships as well! Looking forward to seeing you at the next NYACP member event!

Wishing all who observe many blessings at Rosh Hashana! Hope to see all of you at the next event!

2024

  • OCTOBER - Westchester
  • NOVEMBER - Western Long Island
  • DECEMBER - BREAK

2025

  • JANUARY - New York City          
  • FEBRUARY - Westchester
  • MARCH - Western Long Island
  • APRIL - New York City
  • MAY - Westchester
  • JUNE - East End of Long Island
  • JULY - BREAK
  • AUGUST - BREAK

RACIAL EQUITY COMMITTEE

As part of the ongoing commitment to promoting racial equity and addressing systemic racism, the NYACP Racial Equity Media Club presented Rustin, a film directed by George C. Wolfe on May 16th, 2024. Rustin is an insightful documentary that delves into the life and legacy of Bayard Rustin, a prominent civil rights activist. Rustin sheds light on the challenges and triumphs faced by Rustin, who played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement. Through this film, participants explored the themes of racial equity and their relevance to our work as collaborative professionals. By examining Rustin's experiences, we can gain a deeper understanding of the systemic racism that persists today and how it affects the communities we serve.

There are also suggestions on the website HERE to read, view, and listen to regarding racial equity for your own personal reference.

If you would like more information about the Racial Equity Committee, please contact the NYACP Office.

Both the NYACP Media Club and the media resource list below are intended to encourage engagement with materials and subjects that may be normally overlooked, and to engage our members to be open to different perspectives and experiences. Chairs - Melissa Goodstein, Esq., [email protected] and Catherine Canade, Esq., [email protected] 

SAVE the DATES: Please save the dates below to join us for the 2024-2025 Racial Equity Committee's Media Club. Meetings are on the 4th Thursday of the month, 12-1pm (except for November due to Thanksgiving).

September 26, 2024: "1619 Project" by Nicole Hannah Jones As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting racial equity and addressing systemic racism, the NYACP Racial Equity Media Club was thrilled to start the new year with the book "1619 Project" by Nicole Hannah Jones. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story is a 2021 anthology of essays and poetry, published by One World on November 16, 2021. You can purchase the book on Amazon.  Thank you for joining us as we learn, grow, and advocate for racial equity in our work as collaborative professionals. Together, we can foster positive change and address systemic racism within our communities. 

November: Film -11/21 -12 Years a Slave

2025 January: Book - 1/23 - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander February: Field Trip - Date and Location TBD

March: Film: 3/27 - Just Mercy May: Book 5/22 Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi June: Field Trip- Date and Location TBD


MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

Each Mentorship session runs for four months.  In the first meeting, participants are encouraged you to share a little about their background and how they became involved in collaborative practice, as well their expectations for the program.  Based on prior experience, we suggest that the Mentor and Mentee schedule all of their mentorship meetings in that initial meeting, which can then be confirmed or changed as needed. We will send a reminder each month regarding scheduling.


BUDDY PROGRAM

A few months ago, under the auspices of the Mentorship Program, which is co chaired by Catherine Canadé and Shara Goldfarb, launched a Buddy Program whereby Board members are matched with new members for a period of three months. The Buddy is available to help the new member by checking in with how things have been going since they joined, answering any questions they may have, letting them know about the resources of the organization eg, pods and support groups. The Buddy may also invite them to our online or in person trainings and social events so that they can meet more members. So far the feedback has been very good from both the Buddies and the new members. We are excited to continue this initiative in the Fall. Thank you, Catherine Canadé and Shara Goldfarb, Co-Chairs, NYACP Mentorship and Buddy Programs


The NYACP Newsletter is intended to inform you not only about what is going on in your organization. It is an invitation and opportunity for our members to get involved as you strengthen your Collaborative relationships and your practice. Please send information about you, your practice, your activities, and your success to Randy Heller.
[email protected]