As we wind down 2023, we’d like to take a moment to look back at the wonderful and unique Community Engagement projects GPB worked on this year.  From iconic Georgia locations, to memorable documentaries and community projects, GPB offered a wide range of events throughout the state. 

Winter

We hit the ground running with a series of film screenings from Indie Lens and POV.  We also partnered with one of our favorite community organizations, The Black Legacy Project, to kick off their Building the Beloved Community project in Atlanta.  We partnered with Decatur High School Library, ASALH, and AAHGS to Celebrate Black Joy, and The House of Nirvana, March of Dimes, Atlanta Doula Collective and MommiNation to discuss the film Birthing Justice.  We capped off the winter with a trip to the beach—Bristol, England, to be specific, where we celebrated the last season of Sanditon in style with trivia, snacks, costumes, and a screening of the first episode before it aired on TV. 

Spring

Spring was a time for going deeper into important topics and ideas.  In April we partnered with the Georgia Archives and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society to offer a training on genealogical research and highlight the 9th season of Finding Your Roots (I know we’re focusing on the past for this post, but season 10 of FYR is coming soon!).  We also partnered with the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities and the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center at the Mercer University School of Medicine to offer training on Maternal Mental Health.  The training was recorded and you can watch it here.  We kicked off our celebration of Iconic America by featuring some of our favorite Georgia Icons.  We went geocaching with the Georgia Geocaching Association, and even created a few geocaches of our own, featuring Auburn Avenue and Jimmy Carter (also, have you stopped by GPB to find our cache?). Finally, we took a deep dive into the lives of cephalopods with Science Friday’s Ira Flatow and experts from the Georgia Aquarium and Spelman College.

Summer

We took our events on the road throughout the summer to share educational and entertaining events for the whole family.  Donkey Hodie stopped by several libraries in July with her HeeHawsome Exhibit geared to engage children with movement and creativity.  StoryCorps visited Savannah in August to record Military Voices.  We also stopped by the Columbus Library with our friends at the Atlanta History Center to discuss and reckon with Stone Mountain.  We headed back to Atlanta in September to celebrate with our good friends from Compassionate Atlanta at CompassionCon.  We helped foster compassion for the environment and highlight the amazing things people are doing in their communities with the show Wild Hope.

Autumn

By the final quarter of this year, after commenting numerous times, “where did the time go?!”, we finished strong with a virtual visit from Pati Jinich and David Zelski.  The pair had a fantastic discussion around food and culture.  Speaking of food, Steven Raichlen visited GPB and brought with him his amazing grilling expertise along with some delicious bites.  And we aired All Things Considered live at Eventide Brewing.  Of course no year would be complete without a visit from our favorite friend, Daniel Tiger.  Our Be My Neighbor Day event at the Home Depot Backyard featured games, activities and many local partners.  Despite the cold, families had a great time.

We are committed to offering fun, educational and entertaining events that highlight a wide range of topics and interests.  You can check out upcoming events here, and read more about our partners and events here.  We hope to see you at an event or out and about in the community soon.  Have a happy and healthy 2024!