As we enter this season of gratitude, we simultaneously (and excitedly!) inhabit a season of growth and development.  Since August we have hired Mikhayla Smith as Senior Program Coordinator and two UGA School of Social Work interns chose placements with us for this academic year. Since writing to you last year, GCC  won two Athens-Clarke County (ACC) grants to help fund our Restorative Justice Diversion (RJD) work, and we were awarded a multi-year contract to support restorative practices training and implementation support at all 23 Clarke County Schools.  You may remember that last year our RJD work was unfunded, though we were receiving and facilitating case referrals from the District Attorney’s Office on a pro-bono basis.  It is because of your generosity and ongoing support that we find ourselves on solid ground taking steps toward our vision of a just and equitable community, where all can prosper and thrive, in Athens and beyond.

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L to R:  Jo Barnes, Mikhayla Smith, Journey Perkins, Emma Wilson, and Danny Malec

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Last year we’d received 7 RJD case referrals and had successfully completed our first 2 cases.  Since then, we have received 12 more referrals and have successfully completed 9 cases, including our first adult case referred by the ACC Solicitor General’s Office.  

With ACC funding and your continued support, we aim to more than double our case referrals to at least 25 RJD case referrals in 2025.

This is important because each case means at least one youth who will avoid incarceration, probation and/or parole, while receiving increased support for their family and their schooling. They will also have the chance to be directly accountable to and with the people that were harmed; all at the cost of less than $5,000 per case versus an estimated cost of $400,000 per youth incarcerated per year.

Restorative justice-aligned approaches to criminal law systems, communities, schools and workplaces build more positive cultures and work through conflict with increased accountability. Restorative (versus retributive) practices show higher individual engagement, trust, psychological safety, and productivity in every context.

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Over our 2023-24 winter fundraising campaign, you helped us reach our goal of $30,000. This year, we ask you to help us raise $40,000 by January 31, 2025.

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Your  donations will directly help us:

• Expand our RJD program capacity

• Fund a professionally, locally produced video to increase GCC awareness

• Support a full-time (currently part-time) Operations Manager position

• Help us meet rising insurance expenses

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Will you consider increasing your support this winter and invite a friend or two to also support GCC?

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Please donate by visiting us at https://georgiaconflictcenter-bloom.kindful.com/

Or include a check in the remittance envelope and send to:

Georgia Conflict Center

P.O. Box 82024

Athens, GA 30608

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In deep gratitude,

Danny Malec, GCC Executive Director