Shared Justice, CPJ’s program for Christian college students and young adults, inspires and equips the next generation of leaders with the framework and tools needed for a sustained commitment to civic engagement and advocacy in their communities. By extension, Shared Justice is devoted to providing resources, tools, and support to academics, pastors, and other individuals engaged in forming young adults as citizens. Shared Justice’s core programming includes the annual Hatfield Prize research award, an online publication, virtual and in-person events with college students, and CPJ’s internship program.
Shared Justice
Toward an Engaged and Hopeful Civic Presence
2023 Hatfield Prize Recipients
The Center for Public Justice has named the recipients of the 2023 Hatfield Prize: congratulations to Kailani West & Greg Burch, Ph.D., Adriana Cisneros Emerson & Isabella Junqueira, Ph.D., and Emily Steen & Mark Mulder, Ph.D.! Their research will examine the impact of specific social policies on underserved communities, focusing on WIC recipients, trafficking survivors, and returning citizens. The recipients’ research will be published as three policy reports in September 2023.
Hatfield Happenings
The Hatfield Prize is awarded annually to three student-faculty pairs from Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) schools.
Each pair conducts research on a social policy that impacts the well-being of children, families, and communities. This semester-long research project culminates in a policy report published by the Center for Public Justice.
The Hatfield Prize is made possible through the generosity of The Annie E. Casey Foundation and the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. We thank them for their support, but acknowledge that the findings and conclusions presented in the reports are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of these foundations.
Political Discipleship is a praxis-based curriculum from the Center for Public Justice created for small groups that provides a practical approach to Christian citizenship and engagement with public justice. It is designed to help small groups explore faithful, Christian citizenship by practicing citizenship together. Political Discipleship meets for 11 sessions, culminating in a face-to-face meeting with a public official.
Discover Unleashing Opportunity
In Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice, Michael Gerson, Stephanie Summers and Katie Thompson explore five key issues that are taking a disproportionate and devastating toll on low-income Americans.
For each topic, Gerson puts a lens on the magnitude of the problem, Summers applies a public justice framework for considering solutions, and Thompson tells the story of real Americans who have experienced these issues first hand.
Articles

As we move forward from the pandemic, its effects will live with American youth as they grow into adulthood. The lack of resources needs to be addressed as we slowly shift into this epidemic of the mental health crisis. There needs to be an investment in the youth of our tomorrow by taking care of their emotional needs today. We are called to act as servants to our neighbors, representing God’s image by helping those in need.

“Food doesn’t just serve as a basic need — for sure it is that — but it’s also a symbol of community and belonging and neighborliness,” says Cara Cliburn Allen, Ph.D., a researcher who’s dedicated her career to improving outcomes for college students.

CPJ Research Fellow Sofi Timina writes, “Food insecurity is a consequence of inequality in our society, and it further deepens it. For there to be long-lasting impact, there needs to be systemic change.” Read more on our site about the chronic problem of food insecurity for young adults and what it looks like to address the complex causes of this issue.