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| Please complete and e-mail the Membership Outreach Form on the "Join" home page.Help ICM Grow the Movement for Children! |
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| Georgia's Pre-K Enrollment Began February 1 posted - Thursday, February 04, 2010
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ATTENTION PARENTS:
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PRE-K ENROLLMENT BEGAN FEBRUARY 1.
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| H1N1 Prevention Communication posted - Wednesday, December 16, 2009 H1N1 Prevention Communication provided to ICM by Prevent Child Abuse Georgia. Click on the link to access information from the Administration of Children and Families at the U.S. DHHS in both English and Spanish. Other languages available by accessing links provided in this document. |
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AUGUST 31 - ICM ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
DRUID HILLS UMC, 1200 PONCE DE LEON, ATLANTA, 6:30 PM
PRESENTERS:
JERRY GONZALEZ, GALEO &
SUSAN PAVLIN, REFUGEE FAMILY SERVICES
SEPT. 30 - JUVENILE CODE REWRITE HEARING
ARTICLE VII DELINQUENCY
ROOM 450, GA STATE CAPITOL, 2:00 - 4:00 PM
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| STOP Child Sexual Exploitation
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HELP ICM STOP CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING
Speak Up Now! Fight Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking In-Flight
Some airlines have been part of the fight to stop child sexual exploitation and trafficking by showing in-flight videos that make passengers aware of this horrendous crime and the consequences of committing this crime. Atlanta has become a hub for child sexual exploitation and trafficking in part due to having one of the busiest airports in the world.
You can help save one more child from sexual exploitation and trafficking. Please use the "Speak Up Now" link to contact City of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport General Manager Ben DeCosta, and the top six major national airlines that fly into Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and ask them to join the fight by supporting the airing of in-flight videos against child sexual exploitation and trafficking on all flights into Atlanta -- domestic and international.
Speak Up Now! Let the "SUN" rise for thousands of children in Georgia who live in the shadows as victims of child sexual exploitation.
In-flight videos from international airlines:
CSEC System of Care Toolkit Hosted on ICM's Web Site
ICM is honored to be the interim host of the CSEC System of Care Toolkit for Georgia Care Connection (GCC). Georgia Care Connection is the new initiative launched by the Governor's Office for Children and Families "to identify commercially sexually exploited children and link them to services without subjecting them to arrest."
Executive Director Dale Alton is excited about leading the team at the GCC office. You can visit the new program by clicking on CSEC System of Care Toolkit, or by selecting it in the main menu bar.
Georgia Care Connection
P.O. Box 1967
Decatur, GA 30031
404.602.0068
The Safety Gap Fund: A scholarship fund has been established with Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to cover the gap for rescued girls who need residential care in a licensed safe house but have no other source of funding. A safe, structured setting, including room, board and watchful oversight costs $5,600 per month per girl. More...
REPORT CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING From the Atlanta Police Department: If you know of a child in Atlanta that is being exploited for the purpose of prostitution or indentured servitude. Please call the Dear John/Human Trafficking Hotline at (404)379-3602.
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SAPELO FOUNDATION RELEASES REPORT: IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT ON LATINO CHILDREN IN GEORGIA
Troubling first hand accounts and interviews with parents and children negatively impacted by 287(g) immigration laws in Gwinnett and Cobb Counties highlighted.
Domestic violence also a serious problem as women and their children are scared to report abuses and seek help from law enforcement for fear of deportation.
Report details suggestions for local immigration enforcement and child welfare policy reform recommendations.
Report urges our nation’s policymakers and leaders to enact comprehensive immigration reform in light of report’s findings.
THREADS OF PROMISE
“Threads of Promise is a new weaving cooperative of Karin refugee women from Burma, and RRISA-The Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Services of Atlanta. RRISA helps thousands of refugees, asylees and victims of trafficking each year.” More at WABE 90.1
 “Protecting Assets and Child Custody in the Face of Deportation: A Guide for Practitioners Assisting Immigrant Families.”
From Georgia Appleseed: This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. “Protecting Assets” provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.
Hispanic groups at odds over census (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
While government officials blanket the area to encourage participation in the 2010 Census, some Hispanic groups are at odds as to whether to stand up and be counted.
The Rev. Antonio Mansogo, president of the Confraternity of Pastors and Ministers of Atlanta, is advising undocumented residents to avoid the census. He said the failure of lawmakers to enact immigration reform and the implementation of the new inmate screening program, known as 287g, has raised suspicions among Hispanics. (more...)
(Jerry Gonzalez of GALEO advises that this is the wrong position to take. See his comments in the article.)
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| Welcome to the Interfaith Children's Movement
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DISASTER RELIEF
Faith communities can come to the aid of men, women and children around the world who are suffering from devastation resulting from natural and man-made occurrences. Check with your faith community to discover how help is being supplied. You can also contact the following faith organizations in the links below to determine how you can help. If your faith tradition is involved in rendering aid to victims of disasters, please let us know, and we will post the necessary contact information.
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More information on Juvenile Justice...
Senate Judiciary Hearings Continue on SB 292: The Child Protection and Public Safety Act
If you are interested in the well-being of children, then you must take an interest in the effort to reform Georgia's juvenile code. The next hearing on SB 292 will focus on Article 7 - Delinquency and is scheduled for Thursday, September 30, from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. in Room 450 of the Capitol.
As a member of the JUSTGeorgia Coalition, ICM calls upon all faith communities to help ensure that this legislation stays on track. Please contact your state legislators and let them know that you support SB 292, JUSTGeorgia and the need for juvenile code reform.
If your state senator sits on the Senate Judiciary Juvenile Code Rewrite Sub-Committee, please call and ask him/her to attend the hearing.
Sub-committee members are:
Chair: Senator Bill Hamrick, District 30 (He is also the sponsor of SB 292.)
Harp, Seth (District 29)
JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: A NEW JUVENILE CODE FOR GEORGIA
SB 292 - New Article for Juvenile Code: Children in Need of Services (CHINS)
Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act, which was introduced in the latter part of the 2009 session by Senator Bill Hamrick (R-30th), is the result of the diligence and hard work of the JUSTGeorgia coalition. This legislation is the beginning of the overdue reform needed in Georgia's juvenile justice system. It proposes a Juvenile Code that--
• provides for fair and equal justice for all children;
• makes the law clear for judges, attorneys and parents; and
• provides for intervention and prevention services that help children.
In 2008, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported that it processed 50,594 intake cases. One of the 21st century approaches to prevention, intervention and rehabilitation in this proposed juvenile code revision is a new article Children in Need of Services (CHINS).
"The proposed Children In Need of Services (CHINS) article of Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act will provide more immediate support services and intervention to at-risk children and their families, without formal court involvement. By doing so, these children can be treated in a non-punitive, non-criminalizing way. The purpose is to recognize that a child may not always be responsible for problematic behaviors. By providing appropriate service-focused interventions, a child is more likely to be deterred from future delinquency and involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems," reported Julia Neighbors, project manager for JUSTGeorgia."
ICM sees the measures included in the CHINS article as necessary and logical steps to building stronger families and reducing the overwhelming number of Georgia's children entering the juvenile justice system. As a member of the JUSTGeorgia coalition, ICM will continue to travel across Georgia to encourage faith communities to become informed and educated about the proposed juvenile code legislation and the state of Georgia's children in the juvenile justice system and to help faith communities get engaged in becoming part of the solution.
Use this link to find a summary of the key objectives of this legislation: SB 292 Key Objectives.
Read Senator Hamrick's editorial in the June issue of waveLength, the Voices for Georgia's Children newsletter.
Read Georgia Appleseed's: Common Wisdom: Making the Case for a New Georgia Juvenile Code
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DISMANTLING THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE
The "School To Prison Pipeline" (STPP) refers to a disturbing national trend in which students are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Please follow the link to more information - STPP Materials.
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SAVE THE DATE! ICM 2010 ANNUAL PRAYER DINNER
On October 28, 2010, ICM's annual prayer breakfast will be held as a prayer dinner in recognition of our 10 years of service to Georgia's children. Please mark your calendars now for this beautiful gathering of the interfaith community.
2010 CELEBRATION OF EXCELLENCE A SUCCESS
This year's Celebration of Excellence, held on June 9, was an exceptional event with almost 300 excited graduates, motivating speeches from Governor and Mrs. Perdue, Victoria Rowell, Sam Bracken and others, inspiring musical entertainment and some 30 dedicated volunteers. It was, as they say, a night to remember.
Yet, with all of the excitement and circumstance, there are those still, small moments that make us pause and realize why we do what we are called to do; do what we are able to do; do what must be done.
Judge Phillip Jackson, COE ICM volunteer, teaches a young, male graduate how to tie a tie.
To those who ask what can I do in the face of so much need? ICM replies, "Just take a moment to be present and care."
What's going on under the Gold Dome?
Legislative Updates
Find Your Legislators
Georgia General Assembly
State Budget Issues
Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
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