This month I wanted to spotlight another club on the St. Ambrose campus known as “Ambrosian’s for Peace and Justice”, or better known around campus as APJ. I had an email conversation with APJ President Sarah Smith and she filled me in on some details about APJ.
The club is dedicated to working for social justice through the scope of catholic social teaching. They offer educational opportunities about each of the themes of catholic social teaching. Those themes are: Life and dignity of the human person; call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; the dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and care for God’s creation. Every month APJ will choose one of the themes to focus on, for instance November will be focused on Solidarity and Racial Jutice. Events, which are done biweekly, will be focused around the selected theme.
APJ is also about service. The club does a lot of service work around the SAU campus and within the community. They try to offer service opportunities that promote active change. This semester has been a busy one for them! In September, they met with and hosted a speaker on campus from World Relief Services who discussed the refugee crisis and how it directly affects these families in our communities. October, APJ sponsored a free showing of Dear Evan Hansen. Then hosted Haley Degrev from the Gray Matters Collective to discuss mental health and what we can do to help our friends and family. Their next event will be Monday November 1st, where they will be doing a showing of Prison Kids- Juvenile Justice in America as a kick off for their theme of solidarity and racial justice. They will then hold an open discussion with attendees and a petition signing. A petition signing, you ask? Yes, currently this topic is a big deal in local current events due to the plans of a new juvenile correctional center being built in downtown Davenport. This petition is for those interested in protesting against the decision to legislation.
As you can see, Ambrosian’s for Peace and Justice are making some bold moves within our community not only on campus. APJ’s goal is to educate and spark a fire for justice in our campus community. If you’re looking for a club on campus to do service and work with the themes of catholic social teaching on campus or with local organizations, APJ may be the club for you.
Thank you Sarah Smith for your time to answer questions and provide information about Ambrosian’s for Peace and Justice.