Santa Clara University

New Orleans, Louisiana Immersion ~ December 12–19 2009 ~ $500

The Santa Clara delegation will spend most of the week working with Catholic Charities of the New Orleans Archdioceses. This work will consist of assisting with debris removal from homes, yards, streets, and neighborhoods as well as other general cleanup (both indoor and outdoor) and removal/retrieval of items damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The group will also work with Contemplatives in Action and other community-based organizations in New Orleans. The immersion experience will involve multiple conversations with community members who were affected by the storm and community leaders who have struggled to respond to the community’s needs. We will consider the role that race and class played in the pre- and post- hurricane evacuation process as well as in the city planning for New Orleans. Finally, we’ll talk with experts and everyday people about their hopes, dreams, and plans for rebuilding their communities.

Click here to view a sample schedule for the New Orleans Immersion.

Puebla, Mexico Immersion ~ December 12–21, 2009 ~ $1200

The Santa Clara delegation will spend ten days in the state of Puebla learning with and from community leaders. Santa Clara University will partner with Community Links International (www.commlinks.org), whose mission is to connect the local with the global and help us reflect on how our consumption patterns, lifestyle, values, and choices have a global impact. We will explore issues of politics, culture, and faith through relationships we will build with families through our homestays. We will witness how the indigenous tradition of tequio, the life-long practice of service to benefit the entire community, is a very living and present practice in many communities. We will be involved in a few service initiatives including working at Calpulli de los Ninos in Tlaxcalantzingo, which is a community center that supports child development and fosters community-based agriculture.

Click here to view a sample schedule for the Puebla Immersion.

Participation Fee

The fee for each immersion program helps defray the costs of transportation, meals, housing, and fees to host organizations. Both the $1200 participation fee for the Puebla Immersion and the $500 participation fee for the New Orleans Immersion include group airfare, other transportation costs, housing, and food. Students are responsible for food only during travel to and from immersion location. It is recommended that students bring $50 for incidentals and spending money. Please know, however, that we do not want monetary limitations to prevent anyone from participating in the immersion program. We are able to work with students on an individual basis to provide additional support through fundraising, payment plans, and (in limited cases) scholarships.