Break Away Blog
Do We Need Safe or Brave Spaces?
Over the years, we’ve seen the intentional shift within student and academic affairs to advocate for creating brave spaces over safe spaces. There is an arguable difference, considering the implications of each term.
When Words Aren’t Enough
Well-respected and irrefutable community collaborator, Nelson Mandela once shared, “Action without vision is only passing time, vision without action is merely daydreaming, but vision with action can change the world.” Action following intent may not be a brand new concept, but it’s important to return to this foundation when moving forward feels like an impossible feat.
Dear Graduates, Community Engagement Looks Different Now
You had a powerful community engagement experience (or experiences). As you walk across the graduation stage to receive your diploma, you’re probably asking yourself does it have to be over? No, but it will look different. You can and should find ways to stay engaged in your program and the Movement.
The Difference Between a Firecracker and a Pilot Light
“Firecrackers go off in a flash, then leave nothing but ashes. I prefer a pilot light—the flame is nothing flashy, but once it is lit, it doesn't go out. It burns steadily, and it burns forever.” — from Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis
A Commitment To Inward
A common draw to immersive experiences is to get outside of ourselves. In community engagement programs, we witness the recurring pattern of finding disruption in the world we thought we fully understood. Essentially, we relearn what we once thought was true.
Five Years in a Movement, Hundreds of Years in the Making
A couple of weeks ago, our staff attended a lecture by Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-author of When They Call You a Terrorist at The Carter Center. Patrisse’s book was released in January, five years after she co-founded the Black Lives Matter movement.
Defining American | Atlanta ABCS
During the Atlanta ABCS, we partnered with three community organizations—Freedom University, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and El Refugio—each working with diverse immigrant populations. We spent the week deconstructing the meaning of “American,” while working to develop our understanding of a nation historically built and sustained by immigrants (both stolen and willing).
Social Justice Is Political, Not Partisan
Is there a disconnect between who sees themselves fitting within the bounds of community collaboration and the conversations surrounding justice? If so, how do we bridge those gaps?