What We Do
Our Mission
The Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice advances the work, study and practice of peacebuilding, social justice and violence prevention through the development of innovative educational programs, training, service and research.
Our Vision
Drawing strength from the vision and work of Muhammad Ali, the Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of Louisville develops initiatives that support human dignity, foster responsible citizenship, further peace and justice and address the impact of violence in local, state, national and international arenas. The Ali Institute has a special concern for young people living with violence in urban areas; therefore, we seek to equip the young and those working with them to be agents of peace and justice in their communities.
Because the Ali Institute recognizes that peace cannot exist in the absence of justice, we strive, through our work and energy, to be essential contributors to the cause of justice locally and around the world.
Whether for school children in the inner city of Louisville, farmers in rural Central America, teachers in a European capital or human rights workers in Africa, the Muhammad Ali Institute offers pertinent training, research, and hands-on assistance in support of their interest in creating lasting and effective strategies for peace.
Our Education Initiatives
SeeRedNow- SeeRedNow is an educational media campaign designed to deepen the dialogue about violence,encourage a deeper understanding of the underlying social injustices that are at the root of violence, and inspire people to act for change. Through SeeRedNow the Ali Institute seeks to raise awareness of the six manifestations of violence--domestic, community, political, economic, environmental and hate-- and how they are interconnected. the SeeRedNow campaign carries a message easily adapted to various audiences and settings. The Ali Institute works with communities and schools locally, nationally, and internationally to make the campaign fit their culture, circumstances and goals.
SeeRedNow features a compelling set of six posters, a website, and the Service for Social Change Toolkit.
The Ali Scholars—The signature initiative of the Ali Institute, the Muhammad Ali Scholars Program is a unique 2-year scholarship program for undergraduates combining training, research and service in the areas of social justice, violence prevention and peacebuilding. A special feature of the Ali Scholars' experience is the International Learning Journey which has taken the Ali Scholars to England, Ghana and Senegal to explore peacebuilding and social justice in a different cultural, political, and economic reality. The students develop particular expertise in an area of the work that best connects to their skills, interests and abilities and conduct a research project in this "expert area." Equipped with a solid knowledge base and organizing skills, the Ali Scholars provide serve hosting on-campus events, furthering the work of the Ali Institute and Ali Center, and designing and implementing social change projects. Program students are expected to emerge with a value-based, spirit centered model of leadership, impacting their home communities, and ultimately their nations and the world. The Muhammad Ali Institute and Muhammad Ali Center are partnering to extend the Ali Scholars Program on a global scale in collaboration with selected colleges and universities around the world.
Campus Programs—Peace and Justice Week, Ali in Focus and our Brown Bag Lunch Series are on-campus programs designed to educate and inspire action around violence prevention, peace and justice.
World Changer in Residence—Periodically, the Ali Institute invites a renowned educator/activist to bring his/her expertise, energy and unique perspective to our campus and community initiatives.
Charater Education- In partnership with the Muhammad Ali Center, the Ali Institute is developing a 9th grade curriculum based on Muhammad Ali's Six Core Values -- respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, spirituality, and giving.
Our Training Initiatives
Service for Social Change Toolkit - The Service for Social Change Toolkit, based on the Institute's SeeRedNow Campaign, offers an intellectual framework for understanding some of the tough issues facing communities and guides practitioners through a process of designing service projects that seek to change conditions instead of just alleviating symptoms. The toolkit incorporates critical thinking, research, planning, and project management and helps individuals and organizations do transformational community-based work.
Our Service Initiatives
Healthy Food Class
The Healthy Food class is a 6-week class held at the Wesley House Community Services, from July 18 through August 22, 2011 focusing on eating and preparing healthy food. The program was a pilot for Wesley House, so we decided to use clients that were there in hopes of attracting a larger class in the future. The computer and ESL classes, along with any staff that wanted to participate were the first class of the program. The classes were geared to promote the knowledge of nutrition as well as introducing them to eat and prepare healthier foods for themselves and their families. Some of the students from the Healthy Food Class participated in a video about what they had learned and experienced in the class at Wesley House. Take a look at the video: Healthy Food Video
Just ACT! Day
Join the Muhammad Ali Institute and U of L students, staff, and faculty for a day of service and action in the community; April 2nd from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wesley House, 5114 Preston Highway. Come out on Saturday and help clear away brush, paint a fence, plant shrubs and flowers and paint iron railings. To sign up or for more information, contact Erika R. Stith at 852-6372 or via email at erika.stith@louisville.edu.
SOCIAL ISSUE +SOCIAL ACTION = SOCIAL JUSTICE
Our Research Initiatives
Ali Institute Faculty-in-Residence - The Ali Institute Faculty-in-Residence is a member of the University of Louisville faculty who is engaged in research and teaching in violence prevention, peacebuilding and/or social justice. The Faculty-in-Residence provides leadership for for the research component of the Ali Scholars Program, travels internationally with the program, is supported by the Institute in his/her scholarly work, and manages the Ali Institute Faculty Resource Group.
Ali Institute Faculty Resource Group - The University of Louisville Muhammad Ali Institute Faculty Resource Group (FRG) facilitates, engages in, an disseminates theoretical and empirically-based teaching, research and service related to social justice, peacebuilding and violence prevention, and Muhammad Ali themes to the University, local community, nation, and the world. The group fosters viable collaboration among its members as well as with colleagues in various academic units both within and outside of the University of Louisville. The FRG is further committed to training both current and future Ali Scholars, which equips the next generation with the necessary tools to contribute to the aforementioned themes.
