by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Dec 1, 2015
I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the video below and learn more about Georgia’s founding and how it relates to our work at Georgia Center for Opportunity.
General James Edward Oglethorpe and the original Colonial Trustees founded the colony of Georgia with a commitment to opportunity and human dignity and even adopted the motto “Non sibi sed aliis” – “Not for self, but for others.” The history of Georgia, this land we call home, is rooted in that commitment. It arose out of a vision that was noble, inspired and inspiring.
At Georgia Center for Opportunity, our work is grounded in a similar vision – in our commitment to human dignity and opportunity, to the well-being of our neighbor. And while we want all Georgians to do well, we have focused much of our efforts on what Oglethorpe called “the distressed” – those Georgians whose prospects for social and economic well-being are sparse.
We’re committed to breaking through social and economic barriers so that Georgia children and families have a real chance to prosper. We want to see people moved from dependency to self-sufficiency, which we believe to be the key to living a life that can be rightly described as “flourishing.”
That’s why we work on the issues of education, employment, and family stability. We’ve found, and research shows, that when people are successful in these three areas, they are much more likely to avoid poverty, lead fulfilling lives and realize their full potential.
If you share our commitment to human dignity and opportunity, please consider investing in our mission today.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Jul 1, 2015
Thank you to the generous donors who helped us reach our most recent fundraising goal of $80,000, unlocking an additional $80,000 in matching funds to support Georgia Center for Opportunity. These funds are already being used to promote family stability, access to quality education, and steady employment.
As we close out our fiscal year and look to the year ahead, we count our blessings for all who choose to invest in our work. With your support, GCO is influencing the key pillars to the well-being of Georgians – education, employment, and family stability. We’re focused on the “success cycle,” where these three pillars work together to dramatically increase the odds that an individual will lead a fulfilling life, avoid poverty and government dependency, and raise children who will follow the same path.
When we’re successful, fewer Georgians will be living in a condition of dependence, a higher percentage will be enjoying earned success and the fruits of their labor, more children will be ready for college and a career, and more families will have the economic and relational resources to thrive.
We look forward your continued partnership in the year ahead. You can stay informed on the impact of your gifts by subscribing to GCO email updates and following us on Facebook.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 20, 2015
The John Jay Institute and Georgia Center for Opportunity co-hosted a lecture held at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, GA, last Thursday titled “C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War.” The lecture was given by Dr. Joseph Loconte, an Associate Professor of History at The King’s College in New York.
In his lecture, Dr. Loconte brilliantly demonstrates how the Great War (WWI) shaped both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s outlook on the world, who were both soldiers in the war and experienced the horror of the deadliest conflict known to man up to that era. He reveals how the war’s impact can be seen in these author’s extraordinary works of literature, drawing from examples in the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings to highlight ways in which the authors weave in themes of friendship, noble sacrifice, the corruption of power, and the necessity of grace to overcome the power of evil.
Of special interest is the way in which these two men’s close friendship impacted their writing and set them apart from other writers and poets of their day, a number of whom became disillusioned by the evils they saw in the world. Lewis and Tolkien’s works provide an air of hope amid the sad reality of war and suffering, which stemmed from their belief in the redemption that is still to come.
Watch the lecture here:
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War – Part I
C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Great War – Part II
Image credit:
http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/51973/20140721/j-r-r-tolkien-and-c-s-lewis-friendship-documented-in-new-easter-film.htm (featured image)
http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/CS_Lewis_and_JRR_Tolkien_page2 (in the post)
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 15, 2015
Georgia Center for Opportunity’s President Randy Hicks and the Heritage Foundation’s Jennifer Marshall discuss the issues of poverty and family fragmentation, as well as potential local and state solutions to combat these issues during a special luncheon hosted by GCO on April 8, 2015 at the Buckhead Club in Atlanta.
Watch the discussion here:
From Welfare to Opportunity – Part I
From Welfare to Opportunity – Part II
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Apr 10, 2015
We’re excited to announce that a few generous donors teamed with our board of directors to create a pool of $80,000 in matching funds. With this in effect, every donation given to GCO up to that amount or until June 30th will be instantly matched, dollar-for-dollar. That means your gift will have double the impact toward moving people from dependency to self-sufficiency.
At GCO, we believe that every person – irrespective of their economic or social class – is full of God-given potential and that cultural conditions and public policies that hinder an individual’s development are barriers to be removed. That’s why we work to remove barriers to opportunity.
We work to promote strong families, access to quality education, and steady employment – not for their own sake but for the sake of people. We want to create an environment where every individual has the opportunity to prosper.
In the end, when we’re successful, fewer Georgians will be living in a condition of dependence, a higher percentage will be enjoying earned success and the fruits of their labor, more children will be ready for college and a career, and more families will have the economic and relational resources to thrive.
I hope you will help us reach our $80,000 goal by the June 30th deadline. You can donate online now or mail a donation to Georgia Center for Opportunity, 333 Research Court, Suite 210, Norcross, GA 30092.
by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Mar 10, 2015
While education plays a tremendous role in shaping individual life outcomes, the number of students in Georgia who do not advance beyond K-12 remains astronomically high. Over 1 in 5 young adults in Georgia are not attending school, not working, and have no degree beyond high school. Additionally, in 2014, more than 33,000 students did not graduate. Of those who go on to college, nearly 40 percent do not finish in four years.
To promote solutions that will give more Georgians a real chance to prosper, GCO convened a working group of education professionals as part of the College and Career Pathways Initiative. Comprised of K-12, postsecondary, and local business leaders, the group sought to contextualize barriers faced by students, parents, and schools of varying circumstances across the state.
Through a series of nine meetings, the group not only considered the academic needs of readiness, such as rigorous learning standards, and systemic barriers, such as recruiting and preparing quality teachers, the group also considered the philosophical underpinnings of readiness such as the relationship between education and fulfilling one’s purpose in life.
The following report serves as an overview of the themes and key issues covered by GCO’s College and Career Pathways working group. Major themes include the importance for Georgia to:
- Move away from big policy as a means of education reform
- Empower schools to take the reins of innovation and reform
- Help students develop healthy habits through strong relational ties
Through the lens of the themes described above, GCO plans to publish over the coming months a series of reports addressing key issues impacting college and career readiness in Georgia. These issues include:
- Measuring noncognitive variables in school and building small-scale relationships
- Improving accountability measures in Georgia’s schools
- Education reimagined through blended learning models
- Increasing experimentation and creativity in teacher preparation: Creating “the missing institution”
To read the full report, click here: Fortifying Pathways: Themes to Guide College and Career Readiness in Georgia
