The Justice Education Initiative
At the fourth worldwide GAJE meeting in 2006, held in Cordoba, Argentina, the membership directed the Steering Committee to expand GAJE activities beyond its existing successes in facilitating the exchange of information and informal collaboration by adding strategic initiatives to support and sustain the work of GAJE members to promote justice education in their own countries. In response the Steering Committee has strengthened the organization's operational capacity by giving greater authority to an expanded Executive Committee, by appointing a General Secretary, and by drawing on the GAJE membership to form working groups that have examined issues of legal structure and strategic development.
Having received the reports of those working groups, the GAJE Steering Committee has launched the Justice Education Initiative (JEI) to support the efforts of legal educators, community workers, students, lawyers, judges and civic leaders around the world to create and sustain legal education programs that promote justice.
The JEI is a three year project. Its goal is to develop accessible and practical resources for use in producing lawyers who are both competent and committed to work for justice in every setting where lawyers are found. The central strategy to achieve this goal is to focus on the institutions and processes that prepare persons to be lawyers, judges and legally-trained civic leaders and public officials. Underpinning this strategy is the recognition that law students and lawyers in training can themselves be valuable workers for justice during their time of preparation. In addition, law schools and other programs to prepare students for legal careers can also be resource centers for education of the community, for support of efforts by non-governmental organizations, for development of public policy, for law reform, and for continuing education of lawyers, judges, and public officials. GAJE will particularly encourage legal education institutions to partner with organizations that are based in and serve communities in particular need of justice education.
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