Macon-Bibb GCAPS Newsletter (October 2014)

Macon-Bibb County Government Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students

GCAPS NEWS

“We have a powerful

potential in our

youth, and we must

have the courage to

change old ideas

and practices so that

we may direct their

power toward good

ends.”

- Mary McLeod Bethune

In This Issue

What’s Happening

Camelot Outing

Youth Leadership

Summit

Member Directory

Session #2: EMA

Macon-Bibb County Government GCAPS Orientation (September 22, 2014)

And We Are Off...

We are excited to announce that after a rigorous application and interview process,

we have selected 33 students as the GCAPS class of 2014-2015. During the month of

August, the GCAPS Leadership Team received over 100 applications from high schools

students throughout Bibb County. Over the course of 70+ hours, the team visited schools

to personally interview each applicant. According to Program Manager, Kevin Barerre,

“This was a welcomed challenge as we had received less than ten students in the two

previous years.”

After compiling the data, scoring the applicants, and tabulating the results, the

GCAPS Leadership Team had some very difficult selections to make. Across the board,

the applicants showed a great deal of motivation, emerging leadership qualities, and pas-

sion for civic awareness, making the selection process tough, but after careful examina-

tion and the profession expertise of the team selected a stellar class of students.

On Monday, September 22nd, the GCAPS Orientation session was held with 33 stu-

dents attending. Along with meeting Mayor Robert Reichert and Commissioner Bert

Bivins, leaders shared GCAPS history, the schedule, the honor code, and leadership cur-

riculum. The GCAPS Class of 2014-2015 is off and running.

Macon-Bibb County Government Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS) Newsletter | October 2014

Macon-Bibb County GCAPS | 2 | October 2014

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

4:00 p.m. Dinner with Mayor Robert Reichert at Government Center

(700 Poplar Street; Small Conference Room on Commission Wing)

Special Guests: Chatham County Youth Commission & Miss Macon, Ninti Chance

Dress: Business Casual

5:00 p.m. Government Chambers Tour

6:00 p.m. Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting

7:30 p.m. CAMELOT at The Grand Opera House (651 Mulberry Street)

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

8:00 a.m. Gather at Government Center if you are riding the bus to Lake Tobesofkee

9:00 a.m. Macon-Bibb & Chatham County Youth Leadership Summit

Lake Tobesofkee (Claystone Park Pavilion; 6600 Moseley Dixon Road)

Dress: T-Shirts given out at 10/7 Meeting (Jeans & Comfortable Walking Shoes)

Show your GCAPS Identification Badge for Gate Access to Lake Tobesofkee


4:00 p.m. GCAPS Session #2 at Government Center (700 Poplar Street; EMA Bunker)


6:00 p.m. Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting at Government Center

Macon-Bibb County GCAPS (Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students)


“I'm a king, not a man. And a very civilized king. Could it possibly be civilized to de-stroy the thing I love? Did they ask for this calamity? Can passion

be selected?”

King Arthur

Following the Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting on Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30 p.m. at The Grand Opera House

Camelot Outing on October 7th

The Macon-Bibb GCAPS Cohort and the Chatham County Youth Commission

will experience CAMELOT’s “one brief shining moment” as Lerner and Loewe

envisioned it in one of theatre’s most legendary musicals. This cultural outing will

recount the time-honored legend of King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the

Knights of the Round Table in an enchanting fable of chivalry, majesty, and broth-

erhood in this four-time Tony Award® winning show.

CAMELOT tells the story of the legend of King Arthur who rules his kingdom

with new ideals, bringing peace to a troubled land. But when his beautiful new

Queen Guinevere and the dashing Sir Lancelot, his most trusted knight, give in to

their passion for one another, one of the most fabled love triangles of all time en-

sues. When Mordred, King Arthur’s illegitimate son, catches on and sees a king-

dom in chaos, he attempts to destroy all that is Camelot! Intimate and fresh, never

has this story of passion, pageantry and betrayal been more captivating. The cele-

brated score includes the classics If Ever I Would Leave You, The Simple Joys of

Maidenhood and the title song, Camelot.

www.thegrandmacon.com/camelot

http://www.thegrandmacon.com/camelot


CCYC Coming to Macon This past summer, the Macon-Bibb County GCAPS 2013-2014 Cohort was

fortunate to visit Savannah as guests of Savannah Mayor Edna Jackson, County

Commission Chairman Al Scott, and the Chatham County Youth Commission. In

addition to the knowledge gained about the Chatham County Youth Commission’s

origin, mission, and impact on the community, a bond was established that has led

to the Youth Leadership Summit being held on October 8th at Lake Tobesofkee.

This day of experiential and training will feature guest presentations from Kathleen

Bowen, ACCG GCAPS State Coordinator and Alderman Van Johnson, Chatham

County Youth Commission Director.

The Youth Leadership Summit will combine lecture, group dynamics and

team building all in experiential form, where the young people will relate to topics

such as the role of the youth in building community, resolving issues, and leader-

ship development. The youth will also be given lessons on environmental aware-

ness, community service, and self-development. Their energies will be diverted to

more productive challenges as organizers plan to provide them with life skills.

Guest lecturers are coming from different government agencies with a goal to help

the young people link with social and community realities.

“We hope to engage youth today rather than them waiting for tomorrow.

Their ideas, passion, and energy help fuel our future,” says Charles Coney, Assis-

tant County Manager. “We try to communicate to them that it’s their choice to

demonstrate leadership and responsibility and they can make a conscious deci-

sion to step up,” Coney said. “This is also another way for us connect to the com-

munity and engage its citizens.”

In 1992, after a variety of govern-

mental, business and community initi-

atives on behalf of youth, Dr. Priscilla

D. Thomas, County Commissioner,

District 8, realized her vision to have a

formal organization in place that would

directly involve youth in the govern-

mental process as well as develop

leadership skills. After securing the

blessing of the Chatham County Com-

mission, she enlisted the assistance of

the County Manager, Russ Abolt, the

Human Resources Director, the late

Beverly M. Whitehead, and the then

Employee Services Manager, Michael

A. Kaigler. They developed the proto-

type of the Youth Commission and

this initiative became a reality in

March 1992. Alderman Van R. John-

son, II has served as Director since

1995.

The benefits have been enor-

mous, including increased self es-

teem, recognition from the community

at large, increased personal communi-

ty involvement and enhanced relation-

ships between the County government

and the schools that we serve.

The Youth Commission is a formi-

dable voice for youth in Chatham

County and has assisted in the devel-

opment of Youth Commission in Ful-

ton County (Atlanta), GA, Alachua

County (Gainesville) FL most recently,

the City of Savannah, GA Youth

Council.

www.chathamyouth.com

Wednesday, October 8, 2014 at Lake Tobesofee (Claystone Park Pavilion)

http://www.chathamyouth.com/


CONNECTING TO OTHERS IN NEED—Youth who develop a passion to serve

can usually point to a critical experience that became transformative for

them. The experience frequently involves face-to-face interaction with people who

are different from them, and most often, with people who are in need. These youth

leadership experiences might occur in food banks, homeless shelters, nursing

homes, disaster areas, and places where people live in poverty.

CONFRONTING MORAL DILEMMAS—During adolescence, teenagers develop

the capacity to think in more complex, interconnected ways. The potential for

youth leadership occurs when teenagers form relationships with people in need.

This creates moral dilemmas for them. They begin to ask questions that compare

their own circumstances to others.

REFLECTING ON VALUES—As they consider these moral dilemmas, adoles-

cents reach deep within and think about their values. Instead of mimicking the

opinions they have heard from others, such as parents or friends, they begin to

form their own conclusions. They need to process their feelings with adults who

are not judgmental, who trust in their abilities to find their own answers. Encourag-

ing teens to discuss their feelings with others, or even write about them, helps

facilitate learning.

SHIFTING PERSPECTIVES—Through reflection, talking with others, and linking

their values to the issues that impact them, young people experience a shift in

perspective. They begin to see how issues are connected to each other, and they

become interested in understanding the root causes of societal problems. This is

a turning point for youth leadership — a time that begins to fuel an inner purpose

and passion toward specific, important causes.

CREATING A PASSIONATE CIVIC IDENTITY—Young people reach the last step

in this journey when they see themselves as active, engaged citizens. They are

able to articulate their beliefs about how they understand a social or environmental

issue and they hold a worldview that incorporates themselves as agents of

change. They know that small things they do to contribute to social and environ-

mental causes have a big impact. At this point, they are ready and able to make a

long-term commitment to serving the public good. They have a passion for giving!

Juawn Jackson will be the

guest speaker at the 2014 Youth

Leadership Summit. Juawn was

born on July 27, 1993 to the par-

entage of Latatia Searcy and Jim-

my Jackson. Juawn is the second

oldest of six siblings. Juawn is a

graduate of Westside High School

here in Macon-Bibb County. He

currently attends Georgia College

& State University majoring in Po-

litical Science and seeking a certi-

fication in leadership. At Westside

High School, Juawn served as the

Senior Class President. He was

also an active member of the Na-

tional Beta Club, National Honor

Society, and DECA. Juawn also

served as one of the Westside

representatives to the Superinten-

dent’s Student Advisory Council.

At Georgia College, Juawn

serves as the 76th president of the

Student Government Association,

former president of Collegiate 4-H,

and a member of the Council of

Student Ambassadors.

“If you can't fly then run, if you

can't run then walk, if you can't

walk then crawl, but whatever you

do, you have to keep moving for-

ward.” ― Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


GUEST SPEAKER: Juawn Jackson


8:15 a.m. Travel to Lake Tobesofkee

9:00 a.m. Welcome by Barrere & Coney

9:15 a.m. Greetings & Presentation by Kathleen Bowen

GCAPS Program Coordinator

9:30 a.m. Presentation by Alderman Van R. Johnson, II

Chatham County Youth Commission

10:20 a.m. Leadership Exercise (Banas)

10:40 a.m. Speaker: Mr. Juawn Jackson

President of the SGA Georgia College; Milledgeville

11:15 a.m. Reflection & Check Point (Coney)

11:45 a.m. Lunch at Fish N’ Pig

12:30 p.m. Expeditionary Learning

Butterfly Habitat (Commissioner Bert Bivins)

1:30 p.m. Service Project Presentations

2:30 p.m. “What This Has Meant to Me” & Final Thoughts

3:00 p.m. Departure by Chatham County Youth Commission

3:00 p.m. Macon-Bibb GCAPS Training

“Putting Your Best Foot Forward” (Chris Jackson)

“Dress for Success” (Duhart/Williams)

Roberts Rules of Order (Bowen)

5:00 p.m. Dinner & Fellowship


During his eleven year career with the United

States Air Force, Chris became fascinated by the

leaders that made the greatest impact in their or-

ganizations and in the world; those with the capac-

ity to inspire. Through his vast research he discov-

ered some remarkable patterns about how leaders

think, act and communicate and the environments

in which people operate at their natural best. This

inspiration lead to Chris professional military in-

structor, where he began sharing his leadership

knowledge and developing military leaders.

After leaving the Air Force in 2006, Chris fur-

ther tested his knowledge of people and business

in the civilian sector by leading the successful

turnarounds for a local medical practice and sev-

eral non-profit organizations. He was consistently

recognized as a top sales agent in his region while

at GEICO. He also, was also recruited to spear-

head the successful product launch and introduc-

tion of a telecommunications company and a fit-

ness brand into the region.

Chris is a faculty member of the 360 High

Performance Leadership Academy, a highly rec-

ognized leadership and management think tank.

He is also active in the not-for-profit world, working

with various charities across Middle Georgia. He

currently serves on the Board of Directors for

Leadership Macon, and remains active with the

alumni chapter of his fraternity. He earned a Bach-

elor of Arts in Social Science from Tulane Univer-

sity in 2005 and is an MBA candidate for Spring

2015 at Wesleyan College. Currently, he is the

Director of Career Services for Miller Motte Tech-

nical College and lives in Macon, GA with his wife

Nicole and their three children.

www.theturnaroundleader.com

GUEST TRAINER: Chris Jackson

http://theturnaroundleader.com/


Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students | 2014-2015 Program Year

Macon-Bibb County Government GCAPS

Anderson, Caroline Mount de Sales Academy (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Nguyen, Grace

Brown, Jasmian Rutland High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Engle, Faith

Chester, Marquis Howard High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Hollingshed, Sherrod

Dawkins, Khabir Hutchings College & Career Academy (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Roughen, Ian

Engle, Faith First Presbyterian Day School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Brown, Jasmian

Fluellen, Staci Southwest High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: White, Schuyler

Fuentes, Cecilia Howard High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Sellers, Sarah

Hagins, Julian Hutchings College & Career Academy (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: McCard, Chase

Harris, Calvin Southwest High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Wu, Alex

Haugabrook, Anthony Rutland High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Raines, Tariq

& Wright, Robert

Hollingshed, Sherrod Rutland High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Chester, Marquis

Howard, Jybreil Rutland High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Patel, Deep

Howard, Ta'lareah Southwest High School (Sophomore)

GCAPS Partner: McDuffie, Kennedy

Jackson, Zeleria Mount de Sales Academy (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Woody, Michaela

Martinez, Rosa Rutland High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: McDuffie, Kennedy

McCard, Chase Howard High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Hagins, Julian

McDuffie, Kennedy Mount de Sales Academy (Sophomore)

GCAPS Partner: Howard, Ta'lareah

Mehta, Hitanshi Howard High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: O'Dette, Alexis

Nguyen, Grace Central High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Anderson, Caroline

O'Dette, Alexis Hutchings College & Career Academy (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Mehta, Hitanshi

Patel, Deep Stratford Academy (Sophomore)

GCAPS Partner: Howard, Jybreil

Raines, Tariq Howard High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Haugabrook, Anthony

& Wright, Robert

Roughen, Ian Howard High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Dawkins, Khabir

Sellers, Sarah Stratford Academy (Sophomore)

GCAPS Partner: Fuentes, Cecilia

Smith, Amelia Central High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Martinez, Rosa

Thomas, Malik Howard High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Thompson, Christopher

Thompson, Christopher Central High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Thomas, Malik

Walker, Ananeisha Hutchings College & Career Academy (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Woodford, Alexandra

White, Schuyler Central High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Fluellen, Staci

Woodford, Alexandra Mount de Sales Academy (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Walker, Ananeisha

Woody, Michaela Central High School (Senior)

GCAPS Partner: Jackson, Zeleria

Wright, Robert Mount de Sales Academy (Senior)

GCAPS Partners: Haugabrook, Anthony

& Raines, Tariq

Wu, Alex Howard High School (Junior)

GCAPS Partner: Harris, Calvin

Session #2: EMA - Oct 15 4p The Macon-Bibb County Office of Emergency Management has

been an integral part of the organizational structure of the City of Macon

and Bibb County since 1961. The mission of the Macon – Bibb County

Emergency Management Agency is to prepare for, respond to, and re-

cover from a host of potential hazards and threats that may affect the

citizens of Macon – Bibb County.

In doing so, this agency implements the Emergency Operations Plan

in coordinating all emergency response and organizations. Emergency

Management is also responsible for educating the public in the area of

Disaster Preparedness. Our agency has qualified for the Federal Perfor-

mance Partnership Agreement, which insures the city and county federal

disaster assistance and individual assistance in the event of a major dis-

aster. In addition to being eligible for federal assistance, our personal

qualifications which are based on meeting state mandated training re-

quirements enable us to receive funding from the federal

government to aid in our mitigation efforts. Therefore, we at

Macon – Bibb are committed to taking a proactive approach

to the Emergency Management efforts in our community.

www.maconbibb.us/emergency-management-agency

Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students (GCAPS)

Macon-Bibb County

Georgia Civic Awareness Program for Students

700 Poplar Street

P. O. Box 247

Macon, GA 31202-0247

PLACE STAMP HERE

Contact Us

For more information about GCAPS:

Macon-Bibb County

700 Poplar Street

P. O. Box 247

Macon, GA 31202-0247

(478) 751-7170

[email protected]

Visit us on the web at

www.maconbibb.us/gcaps

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/

MaconBibbCountyYouthCommission

http://www.maconbibb.us/emergency-management-agency/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.maconbibb.us/gcaps

http://www.facebook.com/MaconBibbCountyYouthCommission

http://www.facebook.com/MaconBibbCountyYouthCommission

Documents

Macon-Bibb GCAPS Newsletter (October 2014)