Social Justice & Community Leadership, Minor

Instilling the guiding principles of social justice, community service, compassion, and bold leadership that can be applied across the broad spectrum of professional disciplines.

The Social Justice & Community Leadership minor program will empower you to foster and promote social justice through the elevated knowledge, skills, and perspectives to work effectively in a diverse society and create more just and equitable communities, workplaces, and social institutions

Empowering You to Excel in Your Chosen Profession

The program will equip you with advanced the knowledge and skills in social justice, social change, and service-learning leadership to be a leader in community-oriented fields such as education, social services, community economic development, and more.

The minor program will instill in you an exceptional foundation that students have added to a variety of majors, giving them the comprehensive knowledge and skills to excel with a range of respected employers, including:

  • California Rural Legal Assistance
  • Community Action Board of Santa Cruz County 
  • CSU San Marcos, Office of Experiential Learning  
  • CSUMB
  • Everyone’s Harvest
  • Monterey County Health Department
  • Monterey Peninsula Unified School District
  • Salinas Union High School District
  • United Farm Workers Foundation

Our graduates have applied what they’ve learned in the minor to a diverse range of professional settings and roles, some of which include:

  • Nonprofit Administrator
  • Educator
  • Lawyer
  • Outreach Worker
  • Social Worker
  • High School Counselor
  • Program Supervisor

We’ve seen alumni of the Social Justice & Community Leadership minor program advance their academic pursuits at excellent graduate schools and programs, some of which include:

  • San Jose State University (Chicana and Chicano Studies, MA program)
  • San Jose State University (Counseling and Guidance, MA program)
  • University of Washington (Counseling Psychology, PhD program)
  • CSUMB (Social Work, MSW program)
  • Cal State East Bay (Counseling, MS program)
  • Santa Clara College of Law 
  • University of San Francisco (Urban and Public Affairs, MA program)

 

Aerial Image of Campus

Public University Price, Private University Experience

A Lifetime of Value

Social Justice & Community Leadership, Minor

The minor program will equip you with the skills to create and implement transformative partnership programs between educational institutions and communities, and become a leader in the field of service learning and community service at the local, state, and national levels.

 

Educational Objectives

Our Service Learning Institute, which offers the minor, is a national leader in the field of service learning and will provide you with an impressive academic credential that employers and graduate schools will respect.

Our programs maintain over 400 active partnerships with community organizations throughout the region and across the state, providing you with a valuable network for internship opportunities and full-time positions after you graduate.

Our integration of service learning and social justice will offer you a distinctive, modern approach to learning and advocacy, setting you apart from graduates of other institutions.

Our focus on social change-oriented experiential learning delivers a strong grounding in service and social justice theories, along with opportunities for hands-on, practical skills development in the design and delivery of service learning, social change processes, and perspectives in service and social justice.

Complete two of the following courses:

 

Complete at least four units from the following courses/course combinations:

 

 

Our location will enable you to build powerful, lasting relationships with hundreds of regional community organizations, government agencies, and schools in the tri-county region, as well as with the diverse communities around our campus. You’ll also find opportunities through our partnerships with environmental justice organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Surfrider Foundation, the Wahine Project, Regeneración - Pajaro Valley Climate Action, and the Habitat Stewardship Project. 

The minor program will provide you with countless opportunities to give back and serve the local and regional community. Our students have worked with Salinas Union School District teachers implementing community-based research, co-taught service-learning courses to CSUMB peer students, supported new service learning partnerships with local libraries in support of citizenship education courses for adults, along with other activities focused on community organizing, service, and facilitation.

Faculty & Staff

Our faculty closely mentor their students, working together on a diverse array of service-learning projects, implementing community-based research projects, organizing days of action, and more.

Chrissy Hernandez

Chrissy Hernandez

Associate Professor

Diana Vazquez Centeno

Diana Vazquez Centeno

Center for Experiential Learning and Innovation Administrative Support Coordinator

Questions? We’re Here to Help!

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you have about the Social Justice & Community Leadership program.

Our experienced and supportive admissions staff is here to provide all the individualized guidance you need.

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