The Center for Social Justice Education offers programming and resources for the University of Southern Indiana community and is open to collaborations and partnerships in the the Southwestern Indiana region.
CSJE (through its Director and Advisory Committee members) has been involved in the Mandela Social Justice Day held annually at USI.
Every other year, CSJE holds a workshop on policy advocacy (aimed at social work students) and participates in the Legislative Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) at the Indiana State House in partnership with the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Our last trip was in February 2019. Due to COVID, we haven't been able to return. We hope to attend in 2023.
CSJE launched the Media and Voter education Project (MVP) in 2019 to promote media and digital literacy, and to provide fact-based information related to voting and civic engagement. We are currently participating in the Healthy Democracy Campaign with Voting is Social Work & Vot-ER. Please see our social media pages for more.
Access to mental health care is an issue of social justice. Moved to action out of concern for USI students, we collaborated with other University groups in 2021/22 to sponsor events related to accessing mental health care, suicidality and warning signs, resources on our campus, and mental wellness.
Community Collaborations
During the Spring 2020 semester, CSJE shared a student intern with Congregations Acting for Justice and Empowerment (CAJE).
We are open to other community collaborations! Please feel free to contact our Director for more information.
CSJE collaborates with the Vanderburgh County Treatment Court. If you have questions about this program, please contact Dr. Jay Dickerson.
Past collaborations include:
- Child Welfare BSW Scholars Program
Coursework
Our Department offers a course titled, Introduction to Social Justice. This is a great way for students to orient themselves to the field & be introduced to issues of social justice and ways to become an advocate and/or ally!