Dear Friends,

We saw 2018 as a year of transition and growth at OC Human Relations. We said goodbye to Rusty Kennedy, our founder, at the end of 2017 when he retired. As 2018 progressed it was 

	Alison Edwards - CEO

time to leap out of the nest to see if we could fly. And fly we did. While we have added on the foundations so carefully and courageously built by Rusty by responding to, and tracking, an increasing number of hate crimes in the county, helping schools and cities respond to crisis, and building relationships between police and residents, we have also grown. Our staff continues to increase, our programming has expanded into new cities and school districts and we now offer more trainings than ever. We are expanding because we have been innovative. We built the new Restorative Schools Program - to provide more effective alternatives to suspensions - which has grown from four to six schools. We developed implicit bias training for multiple audiences and we are part of a pilot program that is using mediation to prevent and address elder abuse.
 
As 2019 begins, we are eager to keep growing and keep learning. Our teams will continue to support collaboratives as they change the lives of youth and families in Anaheim, engage residents in advocating for healthier neighborhoods and reach out to the "Hard to Count" communities in the county to make sure that every resident in OC is counted in the 2020 Census. And, of course, we will still be here day-in-day-out bringing diverse people together in classrooms, courtrooms and communities - solving problem, resolving conflict and building a safe, inclusive OC for ALL!

Thank you for your support!

News from our Dispute Resolution Program

This position serves as support staff to the Human Relations Commission and is funded through a contract with the County of Orange.  The current scope of work focuses on areas of Police Community Reconciliation Program(PCRP), police-community relations, human relations issues awareness, community crisis response/support, trainings and workshops around culture diversity, respect, conflict resolution and reconciliation.  Learn more

Thank You Becky!

Becky's contributions are incalculable and her legacy will be felt for years to come.

#IamOC 

  

In 2018, we launched our #IamOC project to showcase and highlight the richness of Orange County's culture and diversity. To do this, we are launching a photo series depicting people from diverse communities.  

By having people share their stories, we hope to plant the seeds of understanding, acceptance and harmony while increasing awareness about the importance of respect and unity.  

Rudy's is one of several stories that have been posted on our website.

Read these stories on our website.

The next 40-hour Basic Mediation Training is scheduled to start January 17 at our office in Santa Ana. This training provides an introduction to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable a mediator to help disputing parties resolve their conflicts in a peaceful, cooperative way. Please see the information on our website or call Wesley Acker at 714-480-6590 if you would like more information about training to become a mediator.