It may feel like the school year has just begun, but it’s never too early to start planning for next summer. For students wanting to venture far beyond the UP bubble, the Moreau Center for Service and Justice is offering a new three-week long Social Justice Immersion to Tanzania, in Eastern Africa.
The Tanzania Social Justice Immersion is the first of the Moreau Center’s immersions to take place in Africa. It was added after the removal of the Nicaragua Immersion program last year.
The Tanzania Immersion will focus on learning about environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and education and other social issues in Tanzania. UP partnered with instructors at Mwenge Catholic University in Moshi, Tanzania to teach lessons about the history of the country to a group of about twelve UP students.
Students may also have the opportunity to learn basic Swahili. Though the itinerary isn’t yet finalized, the group will possibly do homestays with local families and go on an excursion to explore around Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Faith Marcelo, a junior psychology and social work major and student coordinator for the Tanzania Immersion, said that while the immersion involves traveling to Tanzania, it is not just about visiting a new country. It is about making genuine connections within a new community and learning about how a different culture views life.
“I really want participants to come out with a broader view of the world and how they participate in it,” Marcelo said. “It is going to be a beautiful thing for participants to… re-enter into society being more loving and learning more about other people they encounter.”
The Moreau Center offers a wide variety of immersion programs that take place locally, nationally and internationally on fall, winter, spring and summer breaks. This experience involves “immersing” into a diverse community to learn new perspectives and gaining a greater understanding of critical social issues.
“It is a healing experience to look at life with a different perspective,” Katie Sierka, a senior nursing major and student coordinator for the Tanzania Immersion, said.
Tanzania is known for its national parks that are rich with wildlife, like the famous Serengeti National Park. Africa’s highest mountain, Mt. Kilimanjaro, is also located in Northern Tanzania. And there are over 120 ethnic tribes in Tanzania with more than 100 spoken languages, though the primary language is Kiswahili (also known as Swahili).
Laurie Laird, the director of the Moreau Center, is excited for the group to experience both the natural and human beauty in Tanzania.
“I want students to see and recognize the strengths and assets and gifts in a community that may be very different than ours,” Laird said.
The new destination of Tanzania is in part a response to UP’s Vision 2020 Strategic Plan, which includes a goal of strengthening relationships with Holy Cross Institutions, according to Laird. When an opportunity arose for the Immersion program to add a new international destination, Laird intentionally considered a destination with a Holy Cross parish.
Like other immersions, preparation for this immersion will involve group meetings that will include lessons about Tanzania’s history and culture, lessons about cross-cultural communication, planning fundraisers to cover some travel costs and talks with guest speakers.
The group will also prepare for the immersion through group outings and bonding activities to build relationships within the group, Sierka said.
Tyler Wagner, program manager of Immersions, said forming a strong community bond within the group is essential for a successful immersion. There will be many challenges and opportunities for growth throughout the process, and having strong relationships will help the students work through the challenges together, he said.
Though the group will provide service where needed, the immersion will focus more on learning and building connections. Laird and the student coordinators said they strive to be conscious about not imposing their values or their need to help onto the communities.
“So often there is this tendency to go into different communities that may have less access to resources and look for needs and problems and challenges,” Laird explained. “I really want to flip that around.”
Applications for the Tanzania Social Justice Immersion, as well as five other Social Justice Immersions, can be found on the Moreau Center’s website. The deadline to apply is Sunday, Oct. 7. Any questions about the Tanzania Social Justice Immersion can be sent to Tanzania.Immersion@up.edu.
“It is a different opportunity to start something new for our UP community,” Sierka said. “Having a connection to Tanzania will be wonderful.”
Autumn Fluetsch is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at fluetsch20@up.edu.
