Ignatian Justice Summit

Connecting, educating, and organizing for justice,
inspired by the Ignatian Tradition

Tentative Dates:
John Carroll University
July 26-29, 2022

IJS connects student organizers for four days of networking, sharing best practices, organizing and advocacy training, and praying and learning about the Ignatian call to work for justice. New migration and ecology track options will allow participants to learn more about and plan coordinated, collaborative action on immigrant rights and climate justice upon returning to campus. Registration and more details will be provided in late December.

View details from the 2019 Ignatian Justice Summit below.

Growing the Movement

Jesuit campuses across the nation are organizing for more just migration policies, more hospitable campuses, and more humane conversations about migration.

We’re growing the movement. IJS connects student organizers for four days of networking; sharing hopes, challenges, and best practices; organizing and advocacy training; praying and learning about the Ignatian call to work for justice; and planning coordinated, collaborative action on immigrant rights upon returning to campus.

Attending the Summit

Due to the nature of the Ignatian Justice Summit, and the expectation of participants to translate their experiences into programs on-campus, ISN seeks students who will be on their college/university campus for at least one semester during the 2020-2021 academic year. It is recommended that each institution send 2 students (maximum 3).

Ideal Ignatian Justice Summit participants are currently involved in organizing for immigrant rights on campus. They are both recent immigrants and allies, who have a commitment to continuing their work for more just campuses, communities, and policies. Our participants should seek to both grow in their understanding, ideas, and convictions, as well as be willing to share their insights with fellow leaders.

The 2019 IJS group

At the culmination of the Summit, students contributed to "Prayers of Welcome," a collaborative art project compiling messages and prayers for those who migrate from Ignatian-affiliated immigration advocates across the U.S.

The Saint Joseph's University delegation shares their action plan for the 2018-2019 academic year.

IJS 2018 participants with presenter Joanna Williams, policy director at Kino Border Initiative

University of San Francisco students discuss advocacy plans for their campus.

Marcos Gonzales, SJ, guides participants through reflection and discussion on seeking justice through an Ignatian lens.

Registration

Early Registration

Before April 8, 2020

Member Institution – $400

Non-Member Institution – $425

non-refundable deposit of $100

Standard Registration

Before May 1, 2020

Member Institution – $415

Non-Member Institution – $440

non-refundable deposit of $115

Final Registration

Before July 1, 2020

Member Institution – $425

Non-Member Institution – $450

non-refundable deposit of $125

Registration includes: transportation to/from the airport, 3-night’s shared housing in a Marquette residence hall, meals (Tuesday dinner-Friday lunch), activities, and all materials

Note: If needed, you may opt to pay the registration fee (minus a non-refundable deposit) in your institution’s 2020-2021 budget year.

Scholarship Available: Scholarships are available for students who represent vulnerable populations, including those whose families have limited financial capacity, as well as those who have limited access to long-term legal immigration status (ie. DACA recipients, TPS holders, etc.) or who have family members in similar situations.

Questions: Please contact Erin Brown at ebrown@ignatiansolidarity.net or (216) 397-6275.

Agenda Spotlight

Social Justice Incubator
Through a series of case studies on successful migrant-related efforts on Jesuit campuses, and small and large group sharing sessions, participants will gather innovative organizing ideas from the broader network to utilize on their home campuses.

Ignatian Prayer Opportunities
Each day opens and closes with prayer and reflection opportunities inspired by the charism of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Students have reported the prayers provide opportunity for “connection.”

Advocacy and Organizing Training
Every session includes opportunities for students to apply practical analysis/planning skills and share their insights with the larger group. By the end of the program, students will gain a more thorough understanding of current immigration policy, insights on where and how to take action, and increased abilities on basic organizing skills to aid them in any community efforts.

Previous Facilitators

Miriam Uribe, Consumer Justice Paralegal, Urban Justice Center Community Development Project, USF ’17

Miriam is an undocumented woman of color born in Guanajuato, Mexico. At the age of eight, she migrated to California along with her family. She is currently a senior double majoring in Politics and Latin American Studies at the University of San Francisco. Through her experiences in the Undocumented Student Task Force at USF, being a Dream Summer Fellow, and working as an interpreter for asylum cases she has found the power of storytelling in social movements. As an advocate for her undocumented community, she has pushed for a more inclusive campus, a scholarship fund dedicated to undocumented students, and for USF to be declared a sanctuary campus. In the future, she hopes to become an immigration lawyer and continue with her advocacy work fighting for immigrant rights. Although her future is uncertain at this point because of her DACA status, Miriam will continue to fight for everyone in her undocumented community.

Joanna Williams – Director of Education and Outreach, Kino Border Initiative

Joanna is a graduate of Georgetown University and is currently the Director of Education and Advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) in Nogales, Arizona and Sonora. Prior to her current position, she had journeyed with immigrants in a variety of contexts, including volunteering at a shelter in Tierra Blanca, Veracruz, Fulbright research on the reintegration of deported and return migrants, and work as a program assistant for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Border Litigation Project.

Marcos Gonzalez – Office of Faith and Justice, Brophy College Preparatory

Marcos Gonzales is a proud Chicano, born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. He received his BA in Theology and Master’s in Education from Loyola Marymount University, where he would first meet the Jesuits. He served as a Jesuit Volunteer in Micronesia and was Director of School Counseling at San Gabriel Mission High School through LMU’s PLACE Corps program. He entered the Jesuits in 2011. Marcos has been committed to seeking justice through his work with the Jesuit Restorative Justice Initiative, fighting for immigration reform with Jesuit Migrant Services. He recently completed his Master’s in Social Work at Loyola University Chicago, where he was a founding member of the Social Workers of Color Alliance. His critical consciousness deepened while working with youth involved in the juvenile justice system through Cook County’s Juvenile Probation Department in Chicago’s South Side. In 2015, Marcos moved from Chicago to Los Angeles to work as a case manager and member of the local organizing committee at Homeboy Industries. He now works in the Office of Faith and Justice at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix.