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BY MARGO DIX GOLD
Georgia Appleseed is proud to be sowing seeds of justice throughout Georgia. Founded in 2005 as an independent affiliate of the national Appleseed network of non-partisan, nonprofit public interest law centers, we strive to effect change by producing systemic solutions to difficult social justice problems confronting large numbers of Georgians. Under the strong leadership of our Board of Directors and its chair, Steve Clay, Georgia Appleseed projects reflect our prevailing goal to "level the playing field" by creating or facilitating positive change that addresses causes of tough problems, not merely symptoms. The Georgia Appleseed "work force" extends far beyond its own small staff by leveraging the pro bono expertise of lawyers and other professionals who share this vision of a more just Georgia. Each Georgia Appleseed project showcases three core competencies: to research, to disseminate findings, and to effect change. "With its volunteers, Georgia Appleseed engages in qualitative research to understand the foundation of a particularly difficult social justice problem," said Sharon Hill, Georgia Appleseed executive director and a former Fulton County associate juvenile court judge. "Once that research is complete, Georgia Appleseed shares what it has learned by disseminating its findings and recommendations to the public. The most powerful work, however, happens when Georgia Appleseed and its volunteers effect systemic change through legal advocacy, community engagement and policy expertise." These three competencies are at the forefront of Georgia Appleseed's leadership role in JUSTGeorgia, a statewide coalition to realize a new Georgia juvenile code and improved related social service systems for children and families. Recognizing that the current code was out of date and lacked clarity, the Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution in 2005 calling for its complete overhaul. In 2006, with funding from the Sapelo Foundation, Georgia Appleseed partnered with Voices for Georgia's Children and the Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic of Emory University to chart a course towards a new juvenile code for Georgia. An important first step was the completion by the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyer's Division of a model juvenile code that reflects best practices and current scientific findings in child development. But to transform a model code into a meaningful legislative package, input was needed from many sources, including front-line stakeholders in Georgia's current juvenile justice system. Georgia Appleseed assumed the important task of gathering the common wisdom of Georgians throughout the state willing to share their own ideas and opinions about our current juvenile code. These stakeholders were asked what works, what does not work, and their specific ideas about how they would fix the problems. Georgia Appleseed recruited 13 lead law firms to field teams of lawyers and other professionals to gather stakeholder input from each of Georgia's 10 Judicial Districts. Stakeholders included judges, attorneys, parents, children, police officers, social workers, probation officers, teachers, and many others. More than 300 interviews, 260 legal volunteers and 6,500 pro bono hours later, Georgia Appleseed has released its findings, Common Wisdom: Making the Case for a New Georgia Juvenile Code. A comprehensive statewide summary, 10 judicial district reports and an executive summary are available online at www.GaAppleseed.org/children/reports. The ideas and recommendations summarized in Common Wisdom provide meaningful, on-the-ground feedback to help inform an insightful new code legislative package that will be introduced in the 2009 General Assembly. They also enable the voices of Georgians with the largest stakes in the system to be heard in their different contexts by public policy makers charged with the responsibility to provide justice for our children. There are several other major projects on which Georgia Appleseed is working to make a difference in the lives of youth. Their "Parent Involvement under No Child Left Behind (NCLB)" project is one of those and intended to help parents be informed partners in their children's school success. Successful students are less likely to become involved in the juvenile system and parent involvement is recognized as a key component to that success. Engaging the expert assistance of Cathy Henson, a prominent Georgia education leader, Georgia Appleseed created an innovative workshop for parents and school leaders that explains parents' rights and responsibilities under NCLB and helps them interpret the data they receive. Seventeen workshops were presented across Georgia to 800 attendees. A video based on the workshop content is under development with Georgia Public Broadcasting that will become the cornerstone of presentations statewide in collaboration with Georgia Appleseed's education partners. Margo Dix Gold, AMLS manages the Communications Department for Georgia Appleseed. To learn more about the JUSTGeorgia coalition, log on to www.JUSTGeorgia.org. To learn more about Georgia Appleseed, visit www.GaAppleseed.org. |
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