Day four of the 2022 Civil Rights Trip

This morning, Gordon was the first-ever school group to visit the New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan community organization founded by Stacey Abrams.

 

It was the perfect ending for a grip that had students asking themselves again and again how they can work for change in their communities.

 

Staff each spoke passionately about their areas of focus: voter registration, health care,  ecology, school-age children, ecology, activism within the church, data crunching, legal issues, and more.

 

Earlier this morning, students asked themselves about what action steps they will take from this trip. 

 

As the New Georgia Project staff talked about their daily work, they echoed much of what the students had said: ask smart questions, listen carefully to the communities you serve, and look for ways to balance crisis intervention and systemic change.

 

The question and answer session flowed easily, and the wisdom went beyond community activism to include advice that all young people need to hear.

 

Collaborate. Share resources. Set boundaries. Share your opinion when someone asks. Be comfortable losing. Take time to laugh. Answer your phone. Have goals. Be unapologetic about who you are and what you believe.

 

These are all things these student's teachers and parents could have told them.

 

But today, after this trip, coming from these young people who were so clearly connected to a higher purpose? 

 

It sounded different hearing it from them.

 

The eighth grade has Friday off from school. On Monday, they will begin extended service learning projects, working on-site at community organizations and agencies in the East Providence area.  

 

back to day three