The end of the year brings about a number of expected items, one of which is often an annual awards dinner. The Center for Civic Innovation held their third annual Civic Awards Dinner last week. The awards were started in 2015 to shine some attention on the work of dedicated and effective leaders in Atlanta.
“The mission of the Center for Civic Innovation is to address these challenges by empowering people to shape the future of our city by designing local public policy from the ground up,” says the Center. Atlanta, like many cities, is often a story of contradictions. The booming economy and growth Atlanta has seen over the last 20 years, for decades really, has often not made its way to all parts of the city and one of the Center’s goals is to remedy that and give a bigger voice to the residents in those communities of Atlanta.
“Our awards, like our work, are a community-driven process, and in that spirit we asked our friends, supporters, really everyone in the Greater Atlanta area to nominate the individuals and organizations who are on the ground every day, working to tackle inequality by empowering and fighting for people and communities,” said the Center.
There were five categories of awards: Transparency, Investing in Impact, Government Innovation, Community Engagement and, in a nod to longtime Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, the Good Trouble Award.
Freedom University was the winner of the Transparency Award. The school was started when the state of Georgia banned undocumented students in 2010. It was started by a group looking to continue the education of these students despite not being to attend state schools. By providing free college-level classes, college application assistance, and social movement leadership training, 1 in 3 graduates of Freedom University leave with a full scholarship to college every year.
Quest Community Development Organization won the Investing in Impact award. Quest CDO develops affordable housing and provide needs-based community services to enhance the quality of life for underserved individuals and families.
The Government Innovation Award went to the Atlanta City Studio. It is a pop-up urban design studio within the City of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning and is the brainchild of its Commissioner Tim Keane. The mission of the studio mission is to provide leadership in the design of our city with the goal of creating an exceptional public realm and ultimately a city that all Atlantans can be proud of.
Community Engagement went to the Atlanta Legal Aid’s Disability Integration Project. The project advocates for people with disabilities to receive community supports so they can live meaningful lives outside of institutions. Their Nick Project brings together community partners to connect inmates in the DeKalb County jail with appropriate community mental health supports and housing upon release.
Finally, the Good Trouble Award was won by Malika Whitley. She runs ChopArt, an organization dedicated to providing dignity, community, and opportunity to middle and high school aged youth experiencing homelessness through arts programs.
