The Unexpected Gift of GCC: The First in our Story Series

December 7, 2023

The best gifts are experiences. Especially those that fundamentally change you, help you evolve.

Seven years ago, I sat across from John Lash, then executive director of GCC, listening to his powerful personal story over coffee in Five Points. Several of my UGA leadership students were working with John on a year-long service learning project and they were eager for John to come speak to our class.

For decades I’d studied and taught what I thought to be the gamut of conflict resolution (both union and non-union), but all sorts of cracks in my old beliefs surfaced as he described restorative practices and something called non-violent communication. Among them:

  • Conflict is inevitable; violence, however, is not.
  • Conflict can provide the greatest opportunities for growth.
  • The presence of conflict just means one of more of our basic human needs is not being met.
  • Active listening and empathy for both ourselves and others is essential.

I began to read books he’d suggested. Came to understand that my discomfort with interpersonal conflict was holding me back from growth and empathy. After Danny Malec joined GCC, I continued my training, even shadowed him at Clarke Middle School for a semester. I saw many obstacles our children face. Yet even when they were hungry, hurting, sleep-deprived, grieving, or angry, most of them chose a restorative process to resolve conflicts before they became fights; many chose to face someone they had harmed to make it right rather than serve an idle suspension.

I’ve had the privilege of serving in just about every role at GCC so far. But the most meaningful one is that of student. When I lead non-violent communication training, it’s the first thing I say, not out of humility, but truth.

As Marshall Rosenberg said, “When we listen for others’ feelings and unmet needs, they are no longer monsters, just people.” For those of us who weren’t allowed to express our feelings or needs as kids, that applies to us, too.

other blogs and recommended reading

What GCC Means to Us at Global Village Project

Hannah Edber, director of eduction, at Global Village Project shares how the infusion of restorative practices benefits a school that embraces multiple cultures.

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GCC Finalizes Partnership With DA Deborah Gonzalez' Office

GCC recently finalized our partnership with DA Deborah Gonzalez' office to begin taking cases in our Restorative Justice Diversion Program

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Transformative Effects of Restorative Practices

A career educator reflects on his personal and his school's transformation

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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.

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Bridger Middle School Improves Student Behaviors With Restorative Practices

Over the last school year, Bridger Middle School leaders decided to take a different approach to deal with the fighting and students acting out.

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