Professional SJTI June

What is the Social Justice Training Institute?

Professional SJTI is designed for social justice educators in all fields to enhance and refine their skills and competencies to create greater inclusion for all members of the community. This intensive five-day experience uses race caucus work, dialogue within and across groups, and exploration of in-the-moment situations as a forum for personal development, professional competency building, and transformational change. Sessions of Professional SJTI happen two times annually, in June on the East Coast and December on the West Coast.

SJTI provides racial/social justice educators and change agents with an intensive laboratory experience where they can focus on their own learning and development to increase their diversity, equity, and inclusion competencies as social justice educators. Past participants have found SJTI to be an intense experience that has deepened understanding of the dynamics of oppression at the individual, group, cultural, and systems levels through the lens of race and racism. During the final days of SJTI the focus expands from race to apply the learning from this experience to also include other areas of oppression.

If you are looking for training tools, exercises or "how to" activities — SJTI might not be for you. While participants do bring articles and activities to share with colleagues, the focus of the institute is on personal work — working dynamics of internalized dominance and internalized oppression, and learning to better use yourself as the instrument of change.

Before you apply, please review all the information on this page.

Application deadline is rolling.

Selection emails will go out the week of April 7, 2026. Please make sure sjtiadmin@sjti.org is cleared in your email system and be prepared to check your junk folder.

OBJECTIVES SCHEDULE LODGING & TRANSPORTATION POLICIES SCHOLARSHIPS IMPACT

APPLy TO SJTI - June 8-12, 2026 in Location TBD

SJTI believes and cares about respecting the humanity of all people and seeks to live in a world where justice and liberation can be experienced by ALL.

Therefore, we expect participants to enter SJTI with a commitment to Stay Engaged, Experience Discomfort, Speak Your Truth and Hear the Truth of Others (with a racial justice lens), and Expect and Accept Non-Closure.

Apply for SJTI Columbus

Professional SJTI OBjectives

Institute Goal

To provide educators and practitioners with an intensive laboratory experience where they can focus on their own learning and development to increase their multicultural competencies as social justice educators.

Institute Objectives

To deepen understanding of the dynamics of oppression at the individual, group, cultural, and systems levels through the lens of race and racism.
To explore dominant and subordinated group dynamics within the system of racism.
To broaden understanding of the breadth and depth of institutionalized racism.
To examine the impact of racism and white supremacy on ourselves as social justice educators and practitioners, and on participants.
To explore how to navigate ourselves effectively during “triggering” events:
- identify our personal triggers and hot buttons
- explore the factors and “roots” which fuel our triggered reactions
- learn and practice strategies to manage our own triggered reactions
To encourage the application of learnings from this experience to other areas of oppression.

Preparing for the SJTI Experience

Participants who have gained the most from SJTI tend to come into the Institute with a foundation of skills and knowledge, including the capacity to:

acknowledge their racial identity and the ways they were socialized in a racial/racist society.
recognize common racist experiences of people of color and people who identify as biracial/multiracial.
understand the dynamics of white privilege, systemic racism, and differential access to power and access based on perceived racialized identity.
recognize how most organizations are infused with white culture and whiteness and the resulting advantages for whites and barriers for people of color and people who identify as biracial/multiracial.

Many potential participants have developed this foundational level of knowledge, skills and self-awareness through readings and attending courses, workshops, dialogue groups, and conferences. Some conferences they have found helpful include:

White Privilege Conference (usually held in April) hosted by The Privilege Institute
NCORE, National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education (usually held in late May)
ACPA Institute for Social Justice (usually held every 2 years)
NASPA Racial Equity & Social Change Conference (usually held every 2 years)

SCHEDULE

A photos of faculty member Alejandro Covarrubias facilitating a session.

SJTI will begin promptly at 2:00pm on Monday evening and end by noon on Friday. SJTI is an institute not a conference, meaning each session builds on the previous one and requires participants to be present for all days and sessions.

MONDAY

12:15-1:45 p.m.

Optional lunch on your own--meet others in hotel lobby

1:45-2:00 p.m.

Institute Check-in

2:00-4:00 p.m.

Opening Session

4:00-4:20 p.m.

Snack Break

4:20-6:30 p.m.

Opening Session continues

TUESDAY

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Session 1

12:30-2:00 p.m.

Lunch on your own

2:00-5:30 p.m.

Session 2

6:00 p.m.

Dinner on your own (groups often gather to go to dinner together)

WEDNESDAY

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Session 3

12:30-1:45 p.m.

Lunch on your own

1:45-5:30 p.m.

Session 4

6:00 p.m.

Dinner on your own (groups often gather to go to dinner together)

THURSDAY

8:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Session 5

12:00-12:15 p.m.

Group Photo

12:15-1:15 p.m.

Lunch on your own

1:15-5:30 p.m.

Session 6

6:30 p.m.

Reception

FRIDAY

8:00-11:30 a.m.

Closing session

12:00 p.m.

Hotel check-out

Lodging and transportation

You are responsible for your lodging, transportation, and meals. Do not make any arrangements until you receive your invitation from faculty to attend. Every session 100-150 people apply and 40-50 are invited to attend.

Location

Location TBD

Lodging

Rooms will be available at the XXXX Hotel at an SJTI block rate. Participants who are not local to the Columbus area must stay in the hotel.

Rates: $XXX per night
*taxes and fees are additional

Details on how to reserve a room at the SJTI rate will be sent with the invitation to the session the week of April 7.

Please note the dates of the institute are June 8-12, 2026, beginning at 2:00 pm Monday and concluding by noon on Friday. A limited number of rooms prior to and after the program are available at the SJTI rate should you require an additional stay due to travel or if you care to explore Columbus. These additional days will be booked based on availability.

Reservations by attendees must be received on or before Monday, May 12, 2026 at 5pm ET (the "Cutoff Date"). At the Cut-off Date, the hotel will review the reservation pickup for the event and release the unreserved rooms for general sale at standard rates.

Getting to Columbus

We ask that all participants plan on arriving on site around 12:00 p.m. on Monday so you can get settled, eat, and be ready to start at 2:00 p.m. The institute will end before noon on Friday.

Airline Travel

Most major airlines fly to XXXXX Airport --

Getting from the Airport to the Hotel

There are multiple ways to travel from airport to the hotel. Visit the "Getting To and From" page on the airport website to determine which works best for you. Once on site, there is no need for a car as restaurants and other stores are in close proximity.

Driving
If you live in the area and are driving in, parking is available.

Registration Policies

Registration

Cost of registration is $850.00. If you are selected for this session, you will receive additional information about completing your registration payment to secure your spot.

The Employee Identification Number for SJTI is: *32-0246935*. Your institution or place of work might need this number if you are requesting a reimbursement from them. Partial payments through a payment plan are accepted as well — just let us know what you need and we will work it out!

Application and registration questions should be directed to sjtiadmin@sjti.org.

After you submit your application, you should be directed to a confirmation page. If you do not receive this confirmation or have any difficulties submitting your application, contact sjtiadmin@sjti.org to make sure that your application was received.

Meals, travel, and lodging are not included. Participants cover this expense on their own.

Cancellation Policy

We have instituted the following cancellation policy in order to cover costs incurred preparing for the institute. If you cancel your registration 29-45 days from the first day of the institute, there is a $150.00 penalty. If you cancel 15-30 days out, there is a $200.00 penalty. If you cancel under 15 days, there will be no refund.

Accessibility

SJTI works to create a learning environment that supports the needs of all participants. As a tax-exempt organization we are not in the financial position to regularly provide some accommodations, including ASL interpreters. Feel free to contact us if you would like to talk through accommodations and learning needs, please contact sjtiadmin@sjti.org.

Scholarships

Ubuntu: the honoring of the community over the individual and the sharing of resources for the good

Each year, we offer a limited number of $150.00 scholarships that will be used to offset the cost of the institute. These scholarships are based on financial need. We are hoping to model the concept of "Ubuntu", the honoring of the community over the individual and the sharing of resources for the good of all. In this spirit we ask that you reflect on needs in relation to those of others. If you are interested in this scholarship, please complete that section on the application.

ImPACT: what Participants Say

"My experience at the institute has been transformative. I am more aware of my triggers and the areas I need to work on in order to continue to fight racism and racist processes in my environment. The institute helped my gain the strength and momentum I need to keep up the fight and help create solidarity within my community."
Leilani Kupo, Wesleyan University (CT), Class of 2004