Skip To Main Content

Mobile Main Nav

Community Service Class

Developing Men and Women for Others

One of the distinguishing features of a Jesuit education is the inclusion of community service in the curriculum. Service to others is integral to the Jesuit ideal of educating the whole person – a value developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola and his followers in the Society of Jesus more than 450 years ago. Consistent with educating the whole person, the class focuses on both the act of service itself as well as reflecting on that service.

Service

Students are required to complete 40 hours of direct service with a marginalized/impoverished population. One of the main goals of the program is that the students will build relationships with the individuals at the agencies where they are volunteering. In addition, it is our hope that our students will continue at their service agencies long after they’ve completed their required hours. For these reasons we provide a long list of agencies where students can incorporate their passions into their volunteering.

Reflection

There are many ways in which we ask the students to engage in reflection. In the class this centers around small group discussions, journaling, reviewing documents from the Jesuits, social analysis, and exploring solutions through advocacy.