2022 Spring Community Event Wrap-Up

May 9, 2022

GCC’s Spring Community Event & Fundraiser on April 21st was a huge success! We enjoyed soulful Balkan and Appalachian music performed by the Athens Mountain Singers, followed by upbeat traditional Latin American tunes from Beto Cacao and Incatepec. Our Executive Director Danny Malec took to the stage to speak about our progress and partnerships in the Athens community along with Julita Sanders from Juvenile Offender Advocates. To wrap up the evening we had Commissioner Mariah Parker aka Linqua Franqa join us for a special a’cappella performance centered around social justice and awareness. After all was said and done, we raised just over $2,000 to support GCC’s work in Athens and beyond!

A huge thank you to Terrapin for graciously allowing us to host our event in their space, Montu Miller for keeping the show flowing, Homero and Vieney Elizalde for providing delicious food, all of our talented performers, and finally to all of you. Without the support of our community the work done by the Georgia Conflict Center and Juvenile Offender Advocates would not be possible. 

Our Board President Caroline Sharkey said it best by stating, “When we’re in community with one another, we have real conversations about how people feel so we can work towards not just justice, but a sense of togetherness.”

Enjoy these photos from the event and click here to see some videos of our performers and speakers!

Beto Cacao and Incatepec

Athens Mountain Singers

Linqua Franqa

other blogs and recommended reading

School-base Restorative Practices Implementation

Black CPS teens benefit most from shift from suspensions toward restorative practices

A new study finds moving to restorative practices to respond to student misconduct has led to a significant reduction in suspensions and arrests.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

RJ and Gender-based Violence

Restorative Approaches for Gender-based Violence

This blog explores restorative approaches to gender-based violence and the relationship between the restorative justice and transformative justice movements.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

At This Oakland High School, Restorative Justice Goes Far Beyond Discipline

Fremont High students are even helping young students engage in restorative justice practices.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

Georgia Advocates Urge Congress to Reject Drastic Cuts to Federal Assistance Programs

Georgia Conflict Center is one of 32 organizations that signed a coalition letter to the Georgia Congressional Delegation urging members to reject any budget legislation that would cut hundreds of billions of dollars from critical programs like Medicaid, SNAP, and other public welfare programs and services. The letter was transmitted to the Georgia members of congress, leadership, committee chairs, and ranking members in the House and Senate.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

Pine Bluff School Introduces 'Restorative Room' to Help Calm Students, De-Escalate Fights

A school in Pine Bluff introduced the 'restorative room' as a way to help encourage kids to process their emotions and get through tough experiences.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →

Regulating Restorative Justice: What Arbitration Teaches Us About Regulating The Restorative Process In Criminal Courts

This Note from Hope Harriman shares her introduction to Restorative Justice as a volunteer in Rwanda, her journey with the Restorative Justice Community Court in Chicago, and her opinions about possible regulations on restorative justice to ensure its success.

Read full article (LINK OPENS IN A NEW TAB) →