Scholarship Description: The Ben Alden Memorial Scholarship for Social Justice was created to honor the legacy of Ben Alden whose life reflected his enduring commitment to social justice.  The annual award of $2,000 is given to a young adult age 18-25.  The Junior Award of $200 is given to a youth age 13-17.

New for 2012 is a Junior Award for Social Justice – a $200 award for a student age 13-17. If you have a story to tell about justice that relates to Catholic social teachings, we want to hear from you.  Have you participated in a volunteer opportunity for social change?  Have you witnessed or felt an injustice?  Have you encountered a book, play, or movie that made you think the world could be different? Your ideas or experience can be told through an essay, a skit or video, an art project, or another chosen medium.  The $200 award will be based on the student’s understanding of social justice and their creativity in expressing their thoughts and solutions.  Before applying, contact Mary Jane Mitchell at maryjanemitchell@msn.com or 612-824-8296 for assistance.

Goals or Purpose of the Scholarship: To encourage young adults to explore ways they can live their faith while using Catholic social teachings to work for social justice.  The scholarship is intended to partially allay the expenses of the recipient in this pursuit, but is not need based.

Catholic Social Teaching: Belief in the inherent dignity of the human person is the foundation of all Catholic social teaching.  Among other things, this means that everyone in our society has the right to:

• adequate food and shelter (affordable housing)
• access to quality health care
• equal opportunity in education
• work that provides a sustaining wage
• participation in the political system

Scholarship Details:

Application Deadline:            March 1, 2012

Award Amount:                       $2,000 (ages 18-25)

                                                    $200 Junior Award (ages 13-17)

Eligibility:                                  Consideration shall be given to any youth ages 13-17 or 18-25 who has an affiliation with the Church of Christ the King (CTK) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  This affiliation includes having been a member of CTK, or being a relative of a member of CTK, or having attended Carondelet Catholic (CTK-STA) Grade School, or having been a member of a CTK sponsored organization.

Selection Criteria:                     Preference will be given to students who demonstrate an interest in, and commitment to, exploring Catholic social teachings and how they can empower us to work for permanent social change.  For the $2000 Scholarship (ages 18-25), recipients will participate in a qualifying internship, project, or curriculum reflecting this commitment.   See “Examples of Qualifying Activities” below for more details.

Notification Date:                      All applicants will be notified of the final selection by April 1, 2012.

Administered by:                       The Sowers of Justice of the Church of Christ the King, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Alden family.

Application Process:

1.  Before completing the application form, applicants should first review the examples of qualifying activities, provided below, and form a general idea of what activity they would be interested in pursuing.

2.  The applicants should then contact the Scholarship Committee via email or telephone to discuss their proposed activity and get feedback.  Email Mary Jane Mitchell at maryjanemitchell@msn.com or call her at 612-824-8296.  If requested, members can help with ideas and suggestions.

3.  Following this discussion, and if applicable, the applicants should contact the organization or institution with whom they wish to work or study and confirm availability of an internship/major/project for the time period chosen.

4.  Applicants (ages 18-25) should complete and submit the application form and a short essay describing their proposed activity and how it will enable them to work for permanent social change.   Applicants for the Junior Award will be given direction after contacting Mary Jane Mitchell (as listed above).

Click here to download application instructions.

Click here to download application form.

Examples of Qualifying Activities:

Please note that the following examples of qualifying activities are only guidelines.  All proposals will be considered. For ages 18-25, it is anticipated that the work or study project will typically occur during a single semester or summer break.   Projects/activities will vary, but all should share a focus on promoting human rights through social change and provide the recipient an opportunity to learn and develop skills that will enable her/him to continue to work for change, either through activism or research.  While we recognize the importance of charitable works or direct service, we are encouraging youths to go beyond charity and to work for permanent change.

•      Volunteering with a non-partisan organization that furthers social justice.  If desired, applicants can choose from a list of sample organizations on our website, or can work with one of their own choosing.
•      Completing a research project addressing one or more of the themes of Catholic social teaching either for such an organization or school.
•      Majoring or minoring in peace and justice studies at a college or university.
•      Developing an independent social justice project, possibly related to career work in this area.

Concluding Requirement for ages 18-25:

So the recipient’s work can be recognized and honored by the CTK parish, a concluding summary will be requested upon completion of his or her work/project/activity.  This final summary can be one or more of the following:  a one page report submitted to the Scholarship Committee, a presentation to a CTK group, or an article for the parish newsletter.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does my activity or project have to be in Minnesota? No.

If I am getting credit for a social justice course or am being paid for social justice work from another source, can I still apply for this scholarship? Yes. We understand that some students will have peace & justice classes with similar assignments or you may be employed by a nonprofit organization for related work. In either case, you may still apply for this scholarship.  However, it is important to share this information in your application.

Can two or more of us share the award while working together? Yes, as long as the details are fully disclosed during your application process.

Is the award given in a lump sum or over time? The recipient will receive the award in a lump sum at the time the award is announced.

Can I volunteer for a political campaign? Yes, if it is a political campaign that addresses a specific issue, rather than a candidate or party, and is under the guidance of a non-partisan organization.

No, if it is a political campaign for the election of a public official, or if it is related to a partisan organization.

When does the work have to take place? Your project, internship, or study should take place the spring and/or summer and/or school year following the award.

Where can I get more information about Catholic social teaching? Please check out these two websites: www.osjspm.org  and www.shc.edu/theolibrary or simply search “Catholic social teachings” on the web.

Kathryn Caskey just received her Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota.  She is involved in three key projects through her graduate program that allow her to work on social justice issues and work toward permanent social change:
1) Working with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to study issues of park accessibility, safety, and equality in critical low-income neighborhoods.
2) Travel with students and faculty to Tanzania to learn about issues facing developing countries such as housing, transportation, and economic concerns to broaden her world view relating to social justice issues.
3) Interning at the Minnesota House of Representatives with Rep. Frank Hornstein in policy research and analysis related to transportation, land use, energy, and the environment.

Congratulations to Kathryn Caskey!

For detailed application information on this scholarship (due March 1 of each year) see the General Issues section on this website.

How to contribute to this fund – Contributions will be welcomed at any time since this is a multi-year enduring scholarship.  Kindly make checks out to Church of Christ the King and note in the MEMO line “Ben Alden Scholarship Fund”.  They can either be put in the weekend collection or mailed to Church of Christ the King, Attn. Alden Scholarship Fund, 5029 Zenith Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, 55410.

 About Ben – Ben Alden died tragically at the age of 27 in March 2008.  He had deep empathy for all who suffered and was a tireless volunteer for various organizations such as Loaves and Fishes, Habitat for Humanity, and Chris’s Corner.  But Ben’s great love and gift to us all was his devotion to Catholic social teaching and its call for long term social justice.  He truly understood the importance of changing the system.  He was a Ph.D. candidate in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) where he realized that maps and GIS could be used to further social justice causes.  Ben mapped a project that showed local area factories where exposure to toxins could occur.  By incorporating income demographics for each neighborhood, he demonstrated that the poorest people were forced to live in the most environmentally hazardous areas.  To Ben, this was evidence of injustice and it motivated him to work for change.

 Latino and migrant workers have migrated to Minnesota for many years to work on the farms for low wages. Because of discrimination in wages and inadequate living conditions, Centro Campesino was organized in 1998 to work toward bettering the lives of workers and their families. As a result, over the years, workers have won much improved living conditions in their camp, including a community kitchen and childcare unit. Other Centro Campesino accomplishments include:

• Passage by the Minnesota legislature in 2004-2005 the Improving State Protections for Migrant Workers Act.
• Passage in 2007 of the Flat Rate Tuition Bill, which gives thousands of students access to in-state tuition at 2-year and technical colleges throughout the state.
• In 2009 the first college-access program tailored to at-risk Latino youth in rural Minnesota.
• Received the 2002 Nonprofit Mission Award for Advocacy from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
• In 2006 received the Social Justice Award from the National Lawyers Guild in Minnesota.

 If you would like to learn more about Centro Campesino, go to it website: http://www.centrocampesino.net/.

The Church has taken a position on immigration because, besides being an economic, social, and legal issue, it is also a humanitarian one, and, ultimately has moral implications. Each day church social service programs, hospitals, schools, and parishes see the human consequences of a broken system: families are divided, migrant workers are exploited and abused, and human beings die in the desert. This impacts human dignity and human life and should be addressed.

For more information refer to www.justiceforimmigrants.org.

Allison Berger is a medical student at the University of Minnesota.  In addition to co-founding Poverty Medicine Action Coalition that works on health care policies and educates on medical policy issues, she will be co-president of the student run volunteer organization  Inter-professional Street Outreach Project – ISTOP.  She will work this summer through ISTOP to help homeless individuals gain access to health insurance  and connect with permanent medical clinics, to establish volunteer mental health services, and to develop culturally sensitive orientation materials for volunteers.  Social change can be made possible by creating a strong medical services framework.

David Upjohn is at the University of Notre Dame and volunteered in northern Uganda last fall.  He was asked by community elders there if he could raise money to help them build a permanent school where they have none.  By fundraising through an umbrella organization, he has created the benefit of a grassroots organization to involve local labor and materials for building it.  The school will be self-sustainable by income generated from its water source system and through its agricultural program and gardens.  His project has local people constructing their own school and creating jobs, founded on the idea that community empowerment and education create social change.

See the General Issues page for detailed application information on this annual scholarship due March 1st of each year.

How to contribute to this fund – Contributions will be welcomed at any time since this is a multi-year enduring scholarship.  Kindly make checks out to Church of Christ the King and note in the MEMO line “Ben Alden Scholarship Fund”.  They can either be put in the weekend collection or mailed to Church of Christ the King, Attn. Alden Scholarship Fund, 5029 Zenith Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN, 55410.

About Ben – Ben Alden died tragically at the age of 27 in March 2008.  He had deep empathy for all who suffered and was a tireless volunteer for various organizations such as Loaves and Fishes, Habitat for Humanity, and Chris’s Corner.  But Ben’s great love and gift to us all was his devotion to Catholic social teaching and its call for long term social justice.  He truly understood the importance of changing the system.  He was a Ph.D. candidate in Cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) where he realized that maps and GIS could be used to further social justice causes.  Ben mapped a project that showed local area factories where exposure to toxins could occur.  By incorporating income demographics for each neighborhood, he demonstrated that the poorest people were forced to live in the most environmentally hazardous areas.  To Ben, this was evidence of injustice and it motivated him to work for change.

The Minnesota Bishops Have Called Us To Pray Especially for Our Legislators as They Consider Some Difficult Decisions

At the urging of our Catholic bishops, through sponsorship of the Minnesota Catholic Conference,  April 18th  is declared a day of prayer in support of our legislators in St. Paul. We need to give thoughtful consideration to the difficult days ahead for our legislators as they make decisions that will impact the poor, the vulnerable, and all who live on the margins of society.

Here’s an easy way to pray today (and every day!).    As you go about your daily routines — preparing dinner, cleaning the basement, whatever — offer it up as a prayer: “Dear God, I offer up (whatever) as a prayer in support of our state legislators as they address the difficult challenges that face them. Help them to make the right decisions.”

Our state leaders are dealing with a projected state budget deficit of $944 million just for the current year. We are citizens and have a stake in the outcomes even though we are not legislators. We need to understand what’s at stake in the key proposed bills, and we need also to hold our elected representatives accountable for shaping public policy in ways that protect the poor and  vulnerable while building a just society.

 We’re asked also, as responsible citizens, to take some action:

• Communicate with your legislators about your thoughts and concerns.
• Check The Herald regularly for opportunities to participate in legislative discussions.
• Check out these websites for more information: www.mncc.org and www.osjspm.org.

In the story of Exodus God reminds the Israelites to remember, “You shall  not oppress the stranger; you know the heart of the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” During Passover the Jews are reminded that we were once strangers who were powerless in a foreign and hostile land. Of course most Americans, if they look in to their past, have ancestors who were refugees in a strange land. or who were oppressed as slaves.

The Torah further instructs in Leviticus: “When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Can we honestly say to ourselves that we don’t “wrong” the immigrants who are strangers in our land when we allow them to be paid less than the minimum wage, or look the other way when contractors fail to provide safety equipment to workers doing dangerous jobs? When families are torn apart? Or when we detain or deport people without the due process that our own citizens would expect if they were faced with losing their homes or their liberty? The Jews are commanded over and over to welcome the stranger, but lawmakers across the country want to make it a crime to provide assistance of any kind to an undocumented immigrant.

It’s not an easy time to welcome the stanger. It’s undertandable that, after suffering murderous terrorist attacks by a group of foreigners, some wish to close our nation’s doors and expel undocumented immigrants. But while we have a right to defend ourselves, that right does not free us of our moral obligation towards the overwhelming majority of immigrants who are not terrorists.

Through the centuries, Jews have gathered at Passover to tell the story of our liberation from bondage. By recalling the bondage of our people, we are reminded to cherish the freedom we now have, but also to avoid oppressing others. As the debate over immigration reform continues this year, we should all consider our deepest moral beliefs about how we should treat strangers, and how we would wish to be treated in a strange land, and make those beliefs heard in Congress in the weeks and months ahead.

The CTK Sowers of Justice and the CTK Parish Council invite you to a special showing of a remarkably powerful film about a family’s emotional journey and what they discover about the origins of slavery in America.

Join us on Thursday November 19th,  7:00 – 8:30pm in the Social Hall for

THIS IS A DIFFERENT STORY
Contrary to the commonly held view that the south is solely responsible for slavery, Traces of the Trade reveals that the largest slave-trading family in history was not from the south but from the north, ancestors of Producer Katrina Browne.  In this film, Browne and members of her family explore the history and legacy of the slave trade that produced wealth and prominence, and in the process they gain a powerful new perspective on the black/white divide.  It’s a fascinating film, a moving story that not only reveals the roots of our racial divide but also provides examples of actions taken to repair it.

The showing of Traces of the Trade will be followed by a brief discussion about how our history has been impacted by the slave trade, how it can be a catalyst for social change —and how it can lead to greater compassion and understanding among us all.