Social

Jus3ce Internship, Center for Experien3al Learning

Kathleen Lan@o

The Social Jus3ce Internship program (SJI) is an Catholic Chari3es has over 100 loca3ons in Adults who come to Catholic Chari3es are assessed for
experien3al learning opportunity for students interested Cook County, but Refugee Rese@lement employment, because having more workers in a family
in serving the Chicago community at one of two sites: oce is located in Uptown o the means greater nancial stability. Every client has a variety
Catholic Chari3es or Misericordia. The program centers on Lawrence Red Line stop, in the same area of assets, but refugee employment comes with systemic
the values of social jus3ce and community building, and and occasional barriers that make employment dicult and
as many other refugee aid agencies such as some3mes exploita3ve if not maneuvered carefully.
interns spend 250 hours at their internship and class 3me Heartland Alliance, RefugeeOne, and other
reec3ng on these values and learning how to be more Assets: Barriers:
country-specic agencies. In our oce, we - Second language capaci3es - Limited English capacity
ac3ve and just ci3zens. In class, we look at topics such as
allyship, leadership, and asset-based community assist families from before their arrival to - Hard working and willing to - Unfamiliarity with American job
at minimum 90 days aSer their arrival. learn on the job culture
development as modes of working towards social jus3ce - Individual previous work - Unfamiliarity with labor
in our world today. We assist with: experiences protec+ons
- K-12 schooling and tutoring
My posi3on in the program is at Catholic Chari3es - Federal tax benet for - Lack of employer familiarity
- Government and healthcare experiences with refugee workers and
Refugee Rese@lement oce as the Job Development - Employment services for 5 years
employers of refugees
intern. This invaluable experience and the SJI program - Support from job developers refugee assets
- English language learning via classes and Above: Map of Cook
have taught me just how diverse a community Chicago is
and where I can stand in it
volunteers Country, demarking
Catholic Chari3es Workers Rights
- Self-suciency and nancial literacy main oces.
In Job Club, we go over workers
as I con3nue to work for the
ever-evolving cause of rights and we assist clients in
jus3ce. Par3cipa3ng in this
Job Development ling complains and workers
program has allowed me Services in Job Development compensa3on reports and
and my fellow SJIs to engage - Client intake and employment - Maintaining rela+onships always insist that clients report
in conversa3ons about history assessment with employers across city to us and their supervisors
jus3ce issues in the city - Resume crea3on - Prac+ce for job interviews when they experience an
- Job placement with clients injury, discrimina3on, violence,
- Job Club (topic include - Accompaniment to job fairs or unfair treatment at work.
Social Jus3ce interview techniques, American and interview
working culture, and workers - Con+nued assistance for 5 LeG: an example of a
noun : confron3ng the structures of our rights) years
visual used to inform
clients of their rights in
world that perpetuate poverty and the workplace.
injus3ce - Society of Jesus A typical day in the JD oce could include any of these things, Above: an example of
safety regula3ons for a
and they all usually happen within 24 hours of being arranged.
In centering a program on social jus3ce, one must focus on factory detailed in new
I have learned to balance my own schedule, to take hire paperwork.
issues in our community and in society that systema3cally (provided in English
opportuni3es as they arise, and to sit and wait, just as our only).
disadvantage people or that underserve people.
clients do at all stages of the rese@lement process.
Throughout our SJI class 3me, we focused on topic such as
Accompanying our clients at all these stages has shown me a
conict resolu3on, privilege and oppression, community
more complex look at the reality of rese@lement and a be@er
Systemic Issue and Social Jus3ce
organizing, and leadership. SJIs also each got to focus on Exploita3ve refugee labor has increase in the past decade or so, especially
insight into the Chicago job market. in factory work environments such as meat and poultry processing
a social jus3ce issue
plants.
present in Chicago Growth as an SJI in Job Development Unfair labor prac+ces that take advantage minority popula3ons such as
and these ranged undocumented workers and refugee workers creates an unsafe work
As an SJI intern in the posi3on that directly engages with environment and causes harm to the laborers themselves.
from gentrica3on people in diverse popula3ons, I was able to apply the topics of The barriers to employment that refugees face, such as those listed
to human tracking class to my posi3on in order to deepen my rela3onships with above, can make nding a well-paying, confortable job with reasonable
in order to confront clients and coworkers, and be@er understand the experience hours dicult to nd, especially when compounded with the high volume
these reali3es. of rese@lement while also working to address injus3ces. of other low-wage workers who are willing to take these posi3ons out of

Above: a snapshot of Ma@ Sanchez and my project of Food Deserts.
necessity.
A system that exploits people, especially those that are already
Values - Loyola and Catholic Chari3es systema3cally excluded, needs to be changed by having more
The values priori3zed by Catholic Chari3es match up to the vigilant labor policies, higher protec+ons, and worker
values of Loyola University Chicago, as seen right, in the accommoda+ons that would empower workers to report
color coordinated sectors. Values-based leadership leads to infrac3ons, hazards, and discrimina3on when they rst occur.
more aware and though_ul organiza3ons and employees, Conclusion
and it provides a be@er view of social jus3ce ini3a3ves and The SJI program and my experience at Catholic Chari3es in
solu3ons in the community. conjunc3on forced me to confront the reali3es of
Social Jus+ce Values at Social Jus+ce Values at rese@lement as well as a huge variety of social jus3ce issues
Loyola University Chicago Catholic Chari+es and causes. Through it all, I learned that I myself am
Values-based leadership Respect uncomfortable engaging with issues of social jus3ce but
Faith in God and the religious
when I do, I grow exponen3ally in compassion for those
experience
Compassion
aicted by it and in passion to address these issues. The SJI
Commitment to excellence
Competence program exposed me to a variety of issues and my posi3on
Service that promotes jus3ce
Stewardship
deepened my understanding of refugee rese@lement and
Global awareness labor rights within the context of Chicago.
Kathleen LanJo References:
1. The Catholic Chari3es Archdiocese of Chicago." Catholic Chari3es Archdiocese of Chicago. N.p., 5. The Values of a Jesuit Educa3on. Undergraduate Studies, Loyola University
n.d. Web. h@p://catholicchari3es.net
Anthropology BA
Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web.
2. Service Directory 2016 2017. Catholic Chari3es Archdiocese of Cihcago. Np., n.d. Web. h@p://www.luc.edu/undergrad/about/jesuit-colleges.html
Supervisors h@p://www.catholicchari3es.net/Portals/0/Media/Publica3ons/Service%20Directory/ 6. Working The Chain, Slaughterhouse Workers face Lifelong Injuries. Na3onal

Loyola University Chicago, 2017

2016-17_ServiceDirectory_ENG_072216.pdf Public Radio. N.p., n,d. Web.
Catholic Chari+es: Kayla Stevenson kstevenson@catholicchari3es.net 3. Refugee Rese@lement Program. Catholic Chari3es Archdiocese of Cihcago. N.p., n.d. Web.
h@p://www.catholicchari3es.net/Portals/0/Programs%20and%20Services/Refugee
h@p://www.npr.org/sec3ons/thesalt/2016/08/11/489468205/working-the-
chain-slaughterhouse-workers-face-lifelong-injuries
klanJo@luc.edu Loyola SJI Program: Andrew Miller amiller11@luc.edu %20Rese@lement/RefugeeRese@lment_FS_040716.pdf
4. Social Jus3ce Internship. Center for Experien3al Learning, Loyola University Chicago. N.p., n.d.
7. Scratching out a living: La3nos, Race, and Work in the Deep South Angela
Stuesse, University of California Press, 2016.
Web.
+1 (952) 334-5283
8. Social Jus3ce. Jesuits. N.p.,n.d. Web. h@p://jesuits.org/socialjus3ce
h@p://www.luc.edu/experien3al/featuredini3a3ves/socialjus3ceini3a3ves/socialjus3ceinternship/