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

Remembering How to Be Friends: After COVID, One School Uses Talking Circles to Help Kids Reconnect

That predictable, structured place to safely share is critical, especially for students who want to take on society’s bigger challenges, Swearingen said. “It puts us in a spot where we can be vulnerable with each other, and because we can be vulnerable together we can be productive.”

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

Valley State First HBCU to Offer Prison College Program in Mississippi

Incarcerated people at two prisons in the Delta will be able to start earning four-year degrees from Mississippi Valley State University this fall for the first time in more than two decades.

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

Restorative Arlington Partners with Arlington Public Schools to Support Students and Strengthen Restorative Justice in Education

Restorative Arlington has partnered with Arlington Public Schools (APS) to support Restorative Justice in Education. Restorative Arlington has allocated over $140,000 to provide direct services to APS, including services for students who have experienced harm as well as restorative justice training for staff and additional resources.

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

“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over. He does not need punishment; he needs help. That's the message he is sending.”― Thich Nhat Hanh

Each time we choose to draw near, rather than to send away, we are actively building a new way to be in community together. As we model this way of being in schools, we are shining a light and showing a way for what can be possible in the community as a whole.

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

Dream Big, Start Small

GCC Executive Director Danny Malec responds to the RP Implementation Pause in Gwinnett County.

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