Democracy, freedom and justice — these are the words that have been blasted over the news because of recent events like the Egyptian protests and Tunisian riots.

Starting Feb. 5, students had the chance to hear these words again, this time at the Social Justice Summit, formerly known as the Multicultural Leadership Summit.

Participants at the Social Justice Summit had the opportunity for discussion on issues such as diversity, multiculturalism and social justice. The goal of the summit was to increase student awareness on social issues and to have students develop future goals that will further improve their commitment to social change.

“Activism can be defined in many ways. Activism can be through protests, and it could be through educating ourselves and others. Building community is very important to sustain,” said Stephanie Bondi, graduate assistant in educational leadership and policy studies and co-chairperson of the Social Justice Summit.

During the summit, students took part in large group, small group and individual sessions that will assist them in becoming agents of social change on campus.

“Our mission is to provide students a place to learn about themselves and others through social justice. We wanted to provide a place where students can congregate and come together in a safe environment,” Bondi said.

The Summit is now in its 10th year and is open to 40 ISU students. Registration is free.

“Last year it was very successful. In a lot of cases, you will find people who do have an interest in social justice, but they just don’t know how to go about it,” Bondi said.