Are you passionate about social justice?
Be a part of creating a campus-wide conversation...
Click here to apply to be a Moral Voices Fellow for 2011-2012!
Moral Voices is a yearlong initiative at the University of Pennsylvania that provides a unique opportunity to examine a single social justice issue through a variety of lenses and with the partnership of many different student groups. The three components of Moral Voices are (1) a keynote speaker, (2) Action (service projects/advocacy initiatives, and (3) Education.
**The topic for Moral Voices 2011-12 is Genocide.***
Go to www.moralvoices.com to learn more about the initiative's history.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling admissions process (the application is brief!). Final deadline is Wednesday, April 27, 5 PM
Moral Voices will address key questions throughout the course of the year: What does it mean to raise a moral voice? What is our responsibility to those who are less fortunate? What impact can your voice have at the university and beyond? The objective in taking a whole year to explore one issue is three-fold; we hope to encourage the campus community to (1) learn about a new issue; (2) understand the moral and ethical implications of that issue; and (3) find meaningful ways to take action.
Moral Voices Fellows are student leaders who work together to develop the Moral Voices initiative each year. This team of 8-12 students will gather bi-weekly, on Wednesdays from 5-6:30, to discuss many things including:
□ Genocide, the selected topic (facts, news articles, etc.)
□ Jewish and other faith-based connections to/interpretations of the genocide
□ The philosophy behind why we “ask big questions” and how asking moral and ethical questions can add depth to our understanding of a particular issue
□ Community Organizing
Moral Voices Fellows will also choose to be on a sub-team within our larger team, and will work with 1-3 other Fellows to engage other students, campus organizations, and community institutions in the dialogue and activity. With this set-up, Moral Voices Fellows will have the connection and support of the group, and will then be expected to do some outside work with teams that they build.
Team options include:
- Campus outreach/major campus event – cultivating relationships with relevant students and campus groups, taking the lead on 2-4 major campus events including a keynote speaker
- Grassroots organizing – working on a smaller scale to encourage intimate conversations within pre-existing student groups or groups of friends
- Education – working with the Moral Voices Advisor on the educational content for the Moral Voices Fellows as well as content for all events
- Activism – collecting information about relevant legislation and engaging campus in advocacy and activism related to the Moral Voices topic
Moral Voices Fellows will likely have access to a pool of money to allocate to other students looking to seriously address the year’s topic.
Expectations of Moral Voices Fellows
- Engage wholeheartedly in group conversations
- Work with other sub-team members on specific projects, sometimes requiring work outside of our bi-weekly meetings. This includes engaging other students in your work through building your own team that you will run.
- Attend all major Moral Voices events,
- Attend bi-weekly Moral Voices meetings, Wednesdays from 5-6:30, as well as occasional additional sessions (Fellows will be given advance notice of any additional gatherings)
- Attend a Moral Voices mini-retreat, time/date TBD in Fall 2011
- Meet with and provide regular updates to Debbie Yunker, Moral Voices advisor and Assistant Director at Penn Hillel
- Provide regular feedback to the group and Moral Voices advisor so that we can work together to constantly improve the Fellows experience and campus impact.
Questions about Moral Voices’ new leadership structure or anything else?
Contact Debbie Yunker.
Moral Voices is generously supported by the Heyman-Merrin Family Foundation, and is sponsored by Penn Hillel. | 
