Mission Statement

Room at the Table:

Globalization, Economic Justice and Human Dignity

A Forum to Examine Economics and Globalization in Light of Our Gospel Call to Respect and Promote the Human Dignity of Each Person.

Summits like this are frequent occurrences at universities and colleges around the world; oftentimes the goal of these summits is to bring influential voices together to effect change in policy, procedure and the world in which we live. These summits serve as an immersion experience through which students are asked to reflect on how their faith calls them to respond to a complicated world.  While we realize the majority of our students are not yet of voting age, we nonetheless recognize their capacity for change as young people who are in formation.  And so, it is Brophy’s hope that our annual summit might contribute to the formation of our students such that they become young men of conscience and conviction, willing to stand up against a culture that too often values expediency and efficiency at the expense of human dignity. Ultimately, Brophy hopes to graduate young men who will one day participate in summits at colleges and universities, young men who will have voices that can positively influence real change in policy, procedure, and the world in which we live.

Summit 2010: Mission Statement

Economic growth and globalization touch individuals on local, national, and global scales. In light of this reach, the Brophy community seeks to examine the deeper reality and impact such globalization has on peoples and communities. Students will be challenged to consider how globalization affects the dignity and rights of the human person in the present and into the future, with particular attention paid to the effects of globalization on the poor. Issues such as un-contained economic growth, socio-economic injustice, trade issues and agreements, government policies, cultural globalization, and the ethics of economics will be primary areas of concern addressed by Summit speakers and explored further in Summit workshops and classroom discussions.

In addition, we will explore and celebrate efforts being made by individuals, organizations, and corporations around the world who have successfully implemented economic practices that promote the dignity of the human person and the environment in a just and sustainable way.  We will look to them to give witness to what Pope John Paul II calls “the possibility of authentic development of the human person” through a globalization that is grounded in justice and sustainability.

In light of the complexities of globalization and the questions they elicit, students will be invited to consider four primary questions: What is globalization anyway? What’s globalization got to do with me and with others? What is the goal of globalization and, how is that vision brought to life? And finally, what is my personal responsibility as a member of the global community?  It is Brophy’s hope that through this educational experience we might come to view globalization not merely as a political issue, but more importantly as one of human dignity that affects people’s lives in concrete ways.

Meaningful learning should cause discomfort. This year’s summit offers a forum to raise the consciousness of our community about the effects of globalization on individuals and families as well as local, national and international communities so that we may emerge from the 2010 Summit on Human Dignity with an unwavering commitment to just and sustainable economic growth. It is hoped that we can begin to acknowledge our inner voices, come to understand our discomfort, and begin to engage and transform our world—a world still waiting to hear our much needed voices.