The Experience
The SJW Program strives to go beyond the usual volunteer experience. There are several transformative components that allow women to reflect on their work and explore new possibilities for their lives. The program is centered on a strong commitment to the development of the Workers. Each SJW commits to a thirty-six hour work week at their placement, and the additional 4 hours are focused on training, educational opportunities, community time, spiritual growth, activism, and learning community organizing skills. For SJWs, global change begins not only at the local level, but at the level of the individual. The program empowers its volunteers to utilize their own passion and talents to create a better future both for themselves, and the local and global community. Here are a few of the dynamic tools that SJWs use to become change agents.
One to Ones
One to Ones are a cornerstone of good community organizing. They are simple meetings, perhaps over coffee or lunch, where two people sit down together and consciously share a piece of their stories and their passions. This is a skill that assists each SJW to make strong connections with leaders and other mentors in the Twin Cities area. This public relationship building with local, state, and national leaders and organizations is invaluable for the Workers and makes it possible for real change to happen. Each month a certain number of one to ones are chosen by the SJW and orchestrated into her work schedule.
POWER Summit & Justice In Action Team
Every summer youth organizing initiatives commence with the POWER Summit. POWER is an acronym for Peace Organizing World Ecological Renewal, and the summit allows high school students to uncover their inner leader and get active on issues that affect the whole world. Every year the St. Joseph Workers play an integral part in the POWER Summit planning process and participate in the event itself, usually held in the first part of June. We work on this project every year in conjunction with student leaders and the staff of Celeste's Dream, another ministry of the Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet. Because the POWER Summit is an annual event that falls near the end of the SJW year, it is an excellent opportunity for the SJWs to build on the mentorship they’ve received in social justice, and pass it forward to the next generation.
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