Programs
Justice Talks;
Reflections on Civic Engagement
Justice Talks is a unique discussion series presented in partnership between the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Rhode Island Service Alliance, and the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College. It gives AmeriCorps volunteers and staff an opportunity to reflect on their own chosen form of civic engagement and to broaden their ability to think about the impact of service both to the recipient and to the ministers of that service. What is the meaning and content of the commitment to public service? What does it mean to choose to serve? What is community? What or whom are we serving, and why? What is social justice, and what is the character of its call?
Justice Talks generates challenging, open discussions about service, justice, and civic engagement. Each session is oriented around one or two brief but provocative readings. All sessions are facilitated by an instructor attentive to the questions raised by the participants as well as by the readings. Each group size is small but will include ALL Rhode Island AmeriCorps volunteers, including one group of Spanish-speakers who will be reading the same offerings, translated into Spanish. This idea of bringing this program to the full compliment of AmeriCorps members is a unique phenomena possible to coordinate only in our small state of Rhode Island.
Newly elected Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts is excited to act as spokesperson for the Justice Talks series in Rhode Island - "Justice Talks will be an incredible way for all 200 of the AmeriCorps members in Rhode Island to reflect on their public service and tackle the issues and questions at the heart of our commitment to the public. This exciting collaboration between the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, the Rhode Island Service Alliance, and the Feinstein Institute for Public Service at Providence College will have a lasting impact on the lives and careers of these young public servants for years to come."
Whether looking at Moses Maimonedes' consideration of our obligation to others, Gwendolyn Brooks' portrait of service gone awry, or Langston Hughes' treatment of the consequences of difference, the goal of the Justice Talks series is clear: to think, speak, and listen carefully, with the hope of enhancing our understanding of why we commit to compassionate service - and thereby improving and expanding that commitment. The set of themes and readings is dynamic, diverse, and accessible.