SJTI: The Student Experience

Student SJTI is an opportunity for college and university students to gather and do  "personal work" related to social justice issues. The institute is open to 50 undergraduate students from campuses in the U.S. and abroad. This is an advanced, developmental experience designed for students who have done a fairly significant amount of work on social justice issues. Four to six alumni join two SJTI faculty to complete the facilitation team.

Institute Format

The Social Justice Training Institute provides an intensive developmental opportunity for students to examine the complex dynamics of oppression and to develop strategies to foster positive change on their campuses and in their communities.

Students who attend the institute have the opportunity to explore the identities that make up who they are and better understand the extent to which these identities impact all they do. Through facilitated exercises combined with small group dialogue, participants engage in conversations to support and challenge them in understanding the ways they can each impact our global community. To this end, each student is asked to obtain a "Coach" from their home campus and to develop a Social Justice Commitment (SJC) detailing personal growth goals, an intervention intended to have impact on their home campus, and ways in which they can contribute to their community. The Coach must be a faculty member, staff member, or administrator on the student's home campus. Participants work with their Coach after the institute to continue their growth process and to implement their SJC.

Unlike conferences where participants can come and go, the institute is dependent upon the consistent contributions of all participants throughout the entire event. To ensure the maximum learning and growth for all, participants are expected to attend and participate in all sessions from the opening to the closing.

Hosting Student SJTI

Held in a different location each year, Student SJTI depends on campuses with dedicated SJTI alumni to host this powerful student experience,  

If you are interested in hosting a future session of the Student Social Justice Training institute, please contact seerivera@gmail.com for proposal details. 

Questions about Student SJTI?

Email sjtiadmin@sjti.org