Mission
Mission: Operation Understanding DC’s mission is to cultivate youth leaders dedicated to advancing equality and combating discrimination through compassionate leadership, bridge-building across differences, and facilitating meaningful dialogue in support of the ongoing quest for justice.
Vision: OUDC envisions a world where all people are able to experience dignity, safety, and belonging. In pursuit of that vision, OUDC seeks to create generations of youth empowered with the skills and knowledge needed to be effective leaders and advocates for social justice, helping to build a future where freedom and inclusion are accessible to all.
Purpose: OUDC’s signature program, the Social Justice Fellowship (SJF), was established in the early 1990s as an educational leadership program to inspire and train Black and Jewish high school students to become social justice leaders aimed to eradicate anti-Black racism and antisemitism. To this day, OUDC remains inspired by the legacy of 1960s-era Black and Jewish civil rights activists, whose collaboration did so much to challenge discrimination and advance social equity and progress. Recognizing the pivotal role of youth in shaping a more just and equitable society, OUDC was founded to learn from these histories and to cultivate a new generation of social justice leaders through its yearlong fellowship.
In recent years, OUDC has expanded its programming to bring together students from all backgrounds to address discrimination in all its forms. Fellows receive training in public speaking, facilitation, and conflict resolution, while engaging in experiential learning opportunities with historical and contemporary civil rights leaders. Through these experiences, the program fosters core values of empathy, respect and inclusivity. OUDC Fellows emerge equipped with the insight and practical tools necessary to identify and challenge bigotry in all its forms. This transformational approach empowers participants to challenge injustice and build inclusive communities, creating lasting change that extends beyond the program itself.
