Immersion Program
In its fifteenth year, the Bellarmine Immersion program remains dedicated to entering into the reality of the suffering poor in Latin America and in the United States. Through the immersion experience, Bellarmine students develop a concern and compassion for the poor, which in turn forms the foundation for advocacy work that addresses the causes of this poverty. By living in and experiencing the historical, daily reality of the poor, Bellarmine students and faculty manifest the Jesuit, Ignatian tenet of using our intellect and our compassion to the service others.
Bellarmine currently supports a number of different Immersion experiences for students and faculty members. In June of each year, Bellarmine sends a delegation of approximately 10 students and 4 faculty members to El Salvador to spend two weeks with the people there, learning about their lives, and the important connection that the Jesuits have with El Salvador.
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During spring break, a large contingent of 50 students and 10 faculty members travels to Tijuana, Mexico, to build four houses for families that currently lack adequate housing. During the February Winter Break, a group of roughly 10 students travels to Guaymas, Mexico, to work on a variety of projects there, to serve at a soup kitchen, and to partake in a program that works with impoverished youth. Each November, Bellarmine faculty and students travel to Columbus, Georgia to join other Jesuit high schools, universities and colleges for the annual Ignatian Teach-In and the School of Americas Vigil. The focus of this trip is to develop a concern for human rights and justice issues and to take a decidedly peaceful, non-violent approach to addressing these concerns.
The focus of this trip is to develop a concern for human rights and justice issues and to take a decidedly peaceful, non-violent approach to addressing these concerns.
Locally, Bellarmine sponsors both urban and rural "plunges" on a number of weekends throughout the school year. The urban plunge provides students and faculty with the opportunity to grapple with the issues related to homelessness in San Jose. Students meet with a number of different agencies that serve the homeless, and provide service via working at soup kitchens. The rural plunge takes students to Salinas for several days, where they work with and hope better to understand the struggles faced by migrant farm workers.
