What Programs and Initiatives Does the Ignatian Solidarity Network Offer?

The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) runs a mix of formation, advocacy, and ethical-purchasing programs aimed at Jesuit universities, high schools, parishes, and other Catholic and social justice partners. Its stated mission is to "network, educate, and form advocates for social justice animated by the spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the witness of the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador and their companions." If you are looking for a way to plug in, the main entry points are the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, the Rise Up advocacy and formation work, and the Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance.

How ISN describes its own work

ISN presents itself as a national social justice education and advocacy organization. Its audience is primarily Jesuit institutions — universities, high schools, and parishes — along with other Catholic and social justice partners. That framing matters when you evaluate the programs below: most of them are designed to be run through or with an institution, not as standalone individual memberships.

The site's own navigation groups its activity under headings including "Our Mission," "News and Voices," "Rise Up," "Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice," and "Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance." Those headings are the clearest map of what ISN actually offers.

Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice

This is the flagship gathering listed on the site. It functions as a convening event that brings the Ignatian family together around social justice — combining education, reflection rooted in Ignatian spirituality, and advocacy.

Who it fits: Students, campus ministers, parish groups, and educators at Jesuit institutions who want a shared formation and advocacy experience rather than a self-paced online resource.

What to check before committing: Because it is an event, the practical questions are dates, location, registration cost, and whether your school or parish sends a group. The site does not publish those details in the material available here, so confirm them on the Teach-In page before planning travel or budgeting.

Rise Up

"Rise Up" appears as a distinct heading in ISN's navigation, positioning it as an ongoing advocacy or formation initiative rather than a one-time event. The name suggests a call to action — the kind of program that asks participants to move from learning into public witness or organizing.

How to approach it: Treat Rise Up as the ongoing-engagement track and the Teach-In as the concentrated event. If you want sustained involvement between gatherings, this is the section to explore first. Specific campaign goals, timelines, and participation steps are not detailed in the available site evidence, so read the Rise Up pages directly for current calls to action.

Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance

This is a collaborative initiative, signaled by "Alliance" in its name. It sits at the intersection of faith and consumer or institutional behavior — the idea being that what Catholic institutions buy can reflect Catholic social teaching.

Who it fits: Procurement staff, administrators, and campus or parish committees that influence purchasing decisions, rather than individual advocates looking for a petition or a reading list.

What to verify: Which institutions are participating, what product categories are covered, and what commitments the alliance asks for. These operational details are not in the available evidence, so go to the alliance's own pages.

Choosing among them

Getting started

The site's primary calls to action are Join Mailing List and Donate. The mailing list is the lowest-commitment way to hear about program dates and new initiatives; the site uses "subscribe" language, and no pricing or login requirements are stated in the available material, so confirm any terms when you sign up.

A practical sequence: join the mailing list, then read the Teach-In, Rise Up, and Catholic Ethical Purchasing Alliance pages to see which matches your role — student, educator, parish member, or institutional decision-maker. If you are part of a Jesuit university, high school, or parish, ask your campus ministry or social justice office whether they already send a group or participate in the alliance; going through an existing institutional connection is usually faster than starting from scratch.