What a Night! Recapping Our 2023 Spring Community Concert & Fundraiser

May 9, 2023

We had an absolute BLAST on Thursday, April 27th at our Spring Community Concert & Fundraiser spotlighting Joy Village School. Despite the chilly, rainy weather we had dozens of folks come out to Terrapin to support GCC and enjoy great beer and delicious food from Homy's Kitchen. The kids of Joy Village Choir captivated the entire venue, the Athens Mountain Singers harmonized beautifully, and Ishues ended the night with a high-energy and engaging performance. We also had Sofía Delgado from the Western Circuit DA's Office speak as well as two members of the Clarke County Middle School's Peace Leaders, who encourage fellow students to participate in restorative circles to resolve conflict.

We are incredibly grateful to these performers for donating their time and talent for this event and are looking forward to seeing them all perform in the future. Here are some of our favorite photos from the event and you can find the full album by clicking here. If you didn't get a chance to join us, we hope that we see you at the next Community Concert & Fundraiser in 2024!

other blogs and recommended reading

Social Change and Self Care

Letting Go of Myths, Embracing Truths

Shawn Ginwright writes in Yes! Magazine about Four Pivots to Reimagining Justice and Reimagining Ourselves.

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

Restorative Justice

Elderly and Imprisoned: 'I Don't Count It as Living, Only Existing.'

A recent opinion piece from The New York Times discusses the peril of elderly incarcerated individuals. As the article states, the ACLU estimates that "by 2030, people over 55 will constitute a third of the country's prison population", even though elderly people are significantly less likely to reoffend.

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

"Over Ruled" Contemplates the Upward Spiral of Restorative Justice

Taken at face value, the 12′ structure installed on playa will spell out a cheeky provocation, “NO DANCING,” clearly legible from afar. But as the viewer approaches, each of the large block letters will reveal a story, a testimonial from a real person about a personal experience with unjust rules. Smith sees the piece as a call to awareness of social injustice and the power of restorative justice.

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

GHC to offer courses for RED Restorative Justice Program

Georgia Highlands College has partnered with Rehabilitation Enables Dreams to offer college access to students in the RED Restorative Justice Program.

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) →