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Advocacy and Civic Engagement

Service extends beyond your time at Saint Louis University. SLU's Center for Social Action encourages lifelong personal and social responsibility by transforming student volunteers into effective servant leaders and advocates for social justice. One way to start is by engaging in advocacy and social action through one of the center's many programs.

Students perform service in Honduras

Students have opportunities to perform service locally, nationally and abroad.

Policy Pods

Policy Pods are small groups of students who engage in legislative research and meetings. Students meet weekly on topics such as criminal justice reform, immigration reform, environment, education immigration and disability rights. Toward the end of each semester, they set up legislative meetings, advocate for their positions, and host an event to educate the campus. Groups start each year by meeting with advocacy agencies to get information on their topics and celebrate with a keynote address at the end of the year. Students can receive CP2 Credit for Pods if they are a regular part of their group and attend a reflection with the assistant director about their experience with pods connecting to their vocation and development. 

Apply to Pods by Sept. 6, 2024, by clicking below, or email jessica.trout@slu.edu.

Apply for the 2024-25 Policy Pods

Social Justice and Advocacy Training

If you want to take your service and community engagement efforts to the next level, enroll in the Social Justice and Advocacy Training series, sponsored by the Center for Social Action in the Division of Diversity and Innovative Community Engagement.

Spring 2025 Program Dates: Fridays from 3-5 p.m. on Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 7, Feb. 14, Feb. 21, and Feb. 28

Register for the Spring 2025 Training

Through this intensive series, accepted applicants develop skills related to working for social change at the systemic level. Students who are accepted and complete the program gain:

  • The opportunity for a paid social change internship for the semester at a community organization of their choice for up to $1,000.
  • Core credit for completing Cura Personalis 2 (CORE 2500) through attending a majority of the sessions.
  • A letter from the vice president of diversity and innovative community engagement, along with a certificate of completion from the trainers.
  • The tools, skills and knowledge necessary to work for social justice.

Social Action Trips

The Social Action Program offers justice-based experiential learning and advocacy. During the spring semester, teams of 10-12 engage in weekly education and community-building activities with local partners. Students attend a spring break trip and follow up with action planning meetings.

Trips will begin to rotate in 2026, while both will run in 2025. We go to the US-Mexico border with an immigration focus and New Orleans with an LGBTQIA+ focus.

Students must be available to attend already set pre- and post-trip
meetings. The cost is $200-250 per person. Applications are due Nov. 1, 2024 with deposits due Nov. 17. Undergraduate students are prioritized.

Apply for Social Action Trips

Full completion of the program and trip counts for Reflection in Action Credit.

Voter Engagement

Most states support online voter registration. Websites like www.vote.org or www.vote411.org will assist with registration, polling places, absentee ballots, election reminders and voter registration status. Questions? Visit SLU’s Center for Social Action in Wuller Hall, Suite 204. In addition, there are always Missouri Voter Registration Forms available in the CSA.

Students who register to vote using their campus address (20 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103) may vote in the Busch Student Center in presidential and midterm elections.

Need a notary public? Contact Leah Sweetman in the Center for Social Action at leah.sweetman@slu.edu to have your absentee or mail-in ballot notarized.

Learn About Polling Places, Upcoming Elections and Guidelines for Political Activity at SLU

Legislative Advocacy

This tutorial provides advice about researching national and state legislation likely to influence issues important to you and will help you effectively advocate for your causes with your political representatives.