NEW ROCHELLE, NY — College winter recess is typically a time for students to take a break between fall and spring semesters, visit family, take a vacation or regroup before returning to their studies. But 55 Iona College students have chosen to spend their time, making a difference, delivering hands-on service across the globe through mission service immersion and academic service-learning initiatives between January 4 and 16.
The winter service immersion trips include New Orleans, Peru and West Virginia and the academic service-learning experiences are in India and Ireland. The sophomores, juniors and seniors will experience service learning through building community, exploring the social, cultural and political climate of their host environment. “These experiences provide powerful opportunities for students to engage in service, grow spiritually and intellectually while understanding more fully what it means to work for social justice in the tradition of Blessed Edmund Rice,” said Carl Procario-Foley, Ph.D., director of the Office of Mission and Ministry.
Each group will be led by a student leader and a faculty or staff moderator. The immersion trips began by the Christian Brothers in the 1970’s with initial trips in Kentucky, Florida and Peru. To date there are 15 immersion offerings through Iona in Mission for 2015-16. Future trips include Chicago, Habitat for Humanity in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Nazareth Farm in West Virginia. The summer offerings include Philadelphia, Rochester, Syracuse and Zambia.