USA – Jesuit University Students Organize for Migration and Ecological Justice
From July 18-21, 2023, 24 students from 10 Jesuit colleges and universities gathered for the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Ignatian Justice Summit, held this year at John Carroll University in University Heights, OH. The summit offered two tracks—migration and environmental justice—and provided formation and practical tools for students to take action as organizers on their college campuses and in their broader communities.
One of the most fruitful opportunities of the summit is for students to network with one another. When asked what aspect of the summit was most impactful, Ruhie Rapolu of Georgetown University shared that “being able to talk to the different student leaders and seeing what all they’re involved with on campus” was a powerful aspect of the experience. “I think when you’re doing organizing work, you can only see yours as … the best way to be involved. But with seeing all these different student leaders and seeing how they’re all really involved in different forms of activism, [I’m] able to see how it connects to other forms as well.”
The summit welcomed speakers Sr. Tracey Horan, S.P., associate director of education and advocacy at Kino Border Initiative, and Paul Campion, an organizer at Sunrise Movement, for training on community organizing.
The organizing training was highly practical and actionable in nature, covering everything from steps to have a canvassing conversation to mock meetings with congressional staffers. Over the three and a half days of the summit, university teams formulated and presented action plans for improving ecological and migration justice on their campuses, proposing a range of solutions from campus composting to support for immigrant students.
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