By Colin Marston ’13
THE ROUNDUP

The Summit on Human Dignity is a wide and all-encompassing event that involves practically the entire Brophy community.

But who determines its topic every year?

Its birth starts with e-mail proposals each spring, sent to Mrs. Kim Baldwin, assistant principal for ministry in the Office of Faith and Justice.

Faculty responds with a wide diversity of topics, with one or two themes working up to the surface.

The Office of Faith and Justice faculty debate the issues, and come out with a verdict.

The big topic that came out of last year’s discussion was food/nutrition.

The Office of Faith and Justice has a measure of independence in determining the choices, and an emphasis is given to what topic is most popular.

The Summit on Human Dignity has been occurring for the past eight years, and has evolved radically from its beginning.

Previous Summit topics were chosen to emphasize their relevancy in a global context.

“Last year’s topic on globalization was largely chosen to reflect the way the economy was on the minds of everyone,” Mrs. Baldwin said.

The ever-potent issue of Earth stainability was made that more acute in 2009 with the effects of climate change.

When picking topics though, the OFJ goes beyond what’s trendy.

“We want to have a significant social concern being addressed, and show how this affects human dignity,” Mrs. Baldwin said.

The fusion of workshops, lectures and field trips leads to the success of an informative and just as important entertaining experience.

The Summit on Human Dignity will be Feb. 28 to March 9.

Read more Summit-related articles in the 2011 Summit Special Section.