Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network: Rome Encounter
The Jesuit Universities Humanitarian Action Network (JUHAN) is pleased to announce an upcoming Encounter in Rome, which will be held from September 27 to 29, 2026. Through this project, JUHAN hopes to promote their goals of advancing both undergraduate humanitarian education and the professional field of humanitarian action.
JUHAN was launched in 2006 by Fairfield, Fordham and Georgetown Universities to raise awareness on Jesuit campuses of the meaning of humanitarian response and its implications for the Jesuit ideology of “men and women for and with others,” as well as to jointly address the humanitarian needs of those who are suffering.
In the years since JUHAN’s founding, the network has found an administrative home in Fairfield University’s Center for Social Impact. From 2008 – 2021, the focus of the network was to convene biennial student leadership conferences.
In 2024, JUHAN initiated a pilot project with an emphasis on faculty and staff development through a cross-campus immersion trip for faculty and staff to the Encuentro Project in El Paso. In June 2024, 13 Jesuit educators from seven Jesuit Universities and the Jesuit Refugee Services (JRS) joined the experience which was designed to immerse participants in the realities of U.S.-Mexico border communities, while also offering opportunities for critical reflection and planning for action and advocacy.
The Encounter in Rome will be held prior to the Refugee & Migrant Education Network’s Biennial Conference. It will gather a small group of faculty and staff from Jesuit Universities and institutions who would like to learn more about refugee accompaniment and resettlement initiatives taking place in the Italian context.
During the Encounter, participants will meet with experts and explore on-the-ground programs such as: the Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI), the Jesuit Refugee Services’ Centro Astalli, and the Pontifical Gregorian University. Following the Encounter, the group will attend the RME Conference and, upon returning to our campuses, will serve as a critical group of JUHAN faculty/staff who can advocate for humane and ethical border and migration policies through discussions, classroom assignments, and events.
Registration for this event is currently open, but will close soon. To register, please fill out the google interest form, linked here.
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