Service-immersion trips at Canisius take students into the dire sections of Jamaica to serve on security farms, which grow food for the poor. They immerse students in the indigenous culture of Guatemala to experience the region’s local and global conditions, and determine what systemic changes need to take place to sustain the Central American country. Perhaps the most intense service-immersion Unfortunately, some people believe that the less fortunate deserve experience is the one students make to the Chennai Mission in rural what they get; that if they worked hard they wouldn’t be in their India. Here they work alongside Jesuit priests to situations. But many times, those most in need of help are the products assist directly with the Dalit (‘untouchable’) of their upbringings. “Their parents had habits or addictions, and children, considered the lowest on the therefore their children grow up not knowing any different,” explains caste system. Klimchuk, whose greatest learning moment came after he met a But no matter the location, the homeless man in New York City. The man’s sole possession was a situation or the condition, service picture of his son, who served overseas in the U.S. military, which and service-immersion experiences he shared with Klimchuk. “Service is about making conversation with put a very real face on the economic the people you help, developing relationships with them, and letting and social complexities of the unde privileged. They challenge them know that they are valued as human beings.” those of us who serve to dig for Sure, it’s easy for us to complain about work, bills or car repairs. But when you witness the harsh realities of high-needs individuals, the things you thought were important quickly fall into perspective. “Nice clothes or electronic gadgets don’t matter so much to me anymore,” says Novak. “There’s a difference between what I want and what I need.”
The Office of Community-Based Learning at Canisius partners with more than 100 local agencies to provide students with service-learning and community-based learning opportunities. According to its fall 2010 service report:
915
55
Service-learning courses were offered
Students participated in service-learning
13,522
hours of service were completed
Perhaps there are no greater lessons in human empathy than those learned during, what is known as, service-immersion. These trips purposefully take participants beyond the boundaries of their comfort zones, where they live simply amongst the most marginalized people, experience their struggles, and witness the difference service makes in the lives of others. Service-immersion is not for the faint at heart but rather for those with souls of strength and the will to match it. “The purpose is to go into the gritty reality of the world and find God there, and to let this God of the poor, this God of justice and liberation, transform our hearts,” says Rev. John P. Bucki, S.J., director of campus ministry. Robert Novak ’13 (right) delivers meals to the homebound elderly and disabled as part of the college’s partnership with Meals on Wheels.
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