The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advances human rights through grassroots collaborations.
UU College of Social Justice
The Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) offers immersion learning journeys, justice training programs, summer internships, congregational and study resources, as well as volunteer opportunities with partner organizations in the U.S. and abroad.
Our offerings include options for high school youth, young adults (college age through early 30s), and religious professionals, as well as experiential learning journeys open to adults of all ages.
We warmly welcome participants from every faith tradition as well as those who are unaffiliated.
UUCSJ was created in 2012 as a collaboration between the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
Volunteer
Interested in volunteering? You’ve come to the right place to learn more. To facilitate volunteer opportunities, UUSC works with the UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ), which was created in 2012 as a collaboration between the Unitarian Universalist Association and UUSC. The mission of the UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) is to inspire and sustain effective and spiritually grounded activism for justice.
UUCSJ works in collaboration with UUSC and UUA partners and organizations around the world to offer skilled volunteer placements for adults of all ages. The volunteer work and skills required are defined by each partner organization according to their specific needs, and the timing can range from several weeks to six months or more. Though it is easy to think of volunteering in terms of the tangible work that needs doing, we hope that you will understand your volunteer journey just as that—a journey towards deeper relationship with yourself, our partners, the systems of oppression and resilience that we are all a part of, and the justice issues that we all care deeply about.
How UUCSJ Understands Volunteering
- We strive to place the needs of our partners first
- We strive to move at the speed of trust
- We strive to constantly reflect on and dismantle the saviorism often inherent in in cross-cultural volunteer work
Volunteer Policies
- Volunteers must be at least 18 years old to participate; UUCSJ does not organize volunteer placements for families with children
- If background checks are required to volunteer, UUCSJ cannot assist with obtaining background checks. For more information, visit Criminal Watch Dog
- UUCSJ requires that all volunteers have or will have health insurance that will cover them in the volunteer location
- UUCSJ may not have funding available to assist volunteers when traveling to and from volunteer locations, nor for self-support while at the volunteer site (e.g. internal transportation, food, medical needs)
- For many locations, UUCSJ requires that all volunteers have received a tetanus shot within 9 months of the volunteer opportunity
Youth and Young Adult Programs
The UU College of Social Justice offers Activate Youth Justice programs for youth groups as well as high school aged youth. Learn more at uucsj.org/youth/
UUCSJ’s Grounded and Resilient Organizers Workshops (GROW) are especially designed for young adults (18-35). Young adults are also welcome on any of our adult immersion journeys.
Immersion Journeys for All Ages
The UU College of Social Justice has immersion journey options for Individuals, groups, religious professionals, youth, young adults and adults of all ages. Learn more at uucsj.org/journeys/
Image Credit: UU College of Social Justice
