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Immersion Trips

Immersion trips for rising juniors fulfill the 60 hour service requirement.  But even more than that, they provide a transformational experience and teach lessons that can last a lifetime.  By spending time in service and solidarity with people who are poor and marginalized, Prep juniors learn to see the world, and others, differently.  In the words of Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., former Superior General of the Society of Jesus:

"Solidarity is learned through contact rather than concepts. When the heart is touched by direct experience, the mind may be challenged to change. Personal involvement with innocent suffering, with the injustice others suffer, is a catalyst for solidarity which then gives rise to intellectual inquiry and moral reflection."

 

Our trips go to sites in the Appalachian reason and various urban destinations on the East Coast.  An overview of these programs can be found below:

For Rising Juniors (Class of 2020):

Appalachia: Once known for coal, lumber, and farmland, the Appalachian region has become one of the poorest areas of our country.  Each summer, Prep students travel to various sites in West Virginia to serve and learn about life in these rural areas.  Descriptions of our Appalachian sites can be found here.

Urban Immersion: Cities are our centers of culture, finance, and power.  At the same time, they are often the sites of crippling poverty.  Every summer, Prep students travel to several urban sites along the East Coast to experience this poverty firsthand, and address it through service and solidarity.  Descriptions of our Urban Immersion sites can be found here.

The 2018 Immersion Trip Application will open in February.