Susan P. Curnan

Community Youth Development is intentional social change. The editors and staff of the CYD Journal are deeply committed to this cause, and, as the "town crier" for the CYD movement, we recognize the importance of advancing social justice by publishing the good work of dedicated organizations, foundations, universities, and individuals. As such, we inaugurate this new department with a call to colleges and universities throughout North America, to share their strategies for infusing social justice into their curricula. We hope this sparks a dialogue about the role of education in a democratic society, as well as education's role in advancing social justice.

Intentional social change is an awesome, and to some critics, an "unrealistic" mission. While everyone from community organizers to corporate leaders, from young people to the elderly, scholars to advocates, practitioners to policymakers believe in creating "safe, just, and compassionate communities, where young people are engaged in full and healthy ways," they disagree on how to get there. Our knowledge, strategies, and tactics are as diverse as the individuals and institutions engaged. We enter the march from cross streets named for our passions--as poverty warriors, civil rights and human rights advocates, entrepreneurs and social workers, youth leaders, corporate citizens, labor market economists and family care workers, educators, civic society scholars, and so on. In this context, colleges and universities have an important role to play in the generation, application, and dissemination of knowledge. Universities should be visibly factored into the collaborative work of the CYD movement --especially those institutions that include "advancing social justice" as part of their mission.

Brandeis University and its Heller Graduate school is one such place. As copublisher of this Journal, we are pleased to inaugurate this column and invite you to join us in answering the question, "Where in the world are the CYD universities?"

At Brandeis, our mission includes using "knowledge to advance social justice" through a curriculum designed to encourage interconnectedness between student and faculty, diversity in people, global perspective, and commitment to social activism and community service. Our domestic and international programs address this challenge through on and off campus education programs, scholarship, developing and evaluating programs and policy solutions, and by serving as facilitators of collaborative efforts among other partners dedicated to CYD principles. Building on the vision of its founders, the Heller School explicitly seeks the promotion of social justice and well being for all, focusing particular attention on those who are vulnerable as a result of poverty, economic insecurity, homophobia, age, gender, disease, disability, racism, or ethnic discrimination. Through its Ph.D. and Masters programs, the Heller School aims "to have a positive impact on the human condition through the knowledge we create, the education our students receive, the accomplishments of our alumni, and the extent to which our work transcends the boundaries between academia and the broader society."

John Muir once said, "When one tugs at a single strand in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world." What holds true for the ecology of the natural world holds true for the ecology of humankind. Hatred is a strand of social fabric not isolated to societies of the past or far-away dictatorships. Evidences of hate based on discrimination are common occurrences, but little publicized. The more gruesome hate crimes, such as the cases of Matthew Shepherd in Wyoming and James Byrd Jr. in Texas, receive considerable media and public attention, but are too often treated as exceptions. Pull the strand exposed by these violations of human rights and a pattern of hatred and misunderstanding that permeates our culture will be revealed. Few things are more insidious to a democratic culture. And few things remind us more of the importance of providing the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and abilities that will enable them to be the stewards of our democracy.

Moving toward intentional social change begins with an act of faith that it is possible to create safe, just, and compassionate communities; a level of faith that theorist bell hooks has termed "the power of disbelief." We must disbelieve in the permanence of things as they are in order to believe in our ability to change them. Through this process comes the understanding that knowledge is power. Universities must play a critical role.

We invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, and actions on how to bring this agenda to classrooms, campus life, and communities.