Domestic Service Trips
Winter Service Week (WSW) is a service experience over Winter Break. WSW is an opportunity for Canisius students to experience the rich diversity of New York City, the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and culture of Appalachia at Nazareth Farm in West Virginia. These experiences are set in the context of community living and service to others.
Alternative Spring Break (ASB) is one of Canisius’ most popular and rewarding experiences. For 18 years, Campus Ministry has offered this unique community service alternative to traditional spring break activities. In spring of 2008, 55 Canisius students and staff traveled to sites in rural Appalachia located in Kentucky and West Virginia as well as Erie, Pennsylvania.
Contact Sarah Signorino for more information on Winter Service Week or Alternative Spring Break at x2424 or signoris@canisius.edu.
The Alumni/Staff Trip to New Orleans will be taking place for the fourth time on May 24-30, 2010. Campus Ministry invites Canisius College staff, alumni and their families to team up with Catholic Charities and Jesuits of the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus to rebuild New Orleans! Contact Joe Van Volkenburg at x2875 or vanvolkj@canisius.edu for more information.
International Service Trips
Project Mexico, Travel to Mexico City to serve each day at Mother Teresa's home for the physically and mentally disabled and to run a day camp for impoverished children. This is an introductory trip.
Kingston, Jamaica, Travel to Jamaica to primarily construct a simple home for someone in need in an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of Kingston. There are also opportunities to explore a variety of social services in Kingston as well as the socio, economic and cultural aspects of Jamaica. This is an introductory trip.
El Salvador, Travel to the capital city and surrounding towns in order to explore the political and social ramifications of El Salvador's civil war. This is an intense trip that delves into issues of social justice around war, martyrdom, and oppression but also around liberation, hope and change.
Poland, Travel to Southern Poland to eat, sleep and live in an orphanage with kids ages 2-11. You live in small "families" with orphans and foster kids and do everything with them from combing their hair and dressing them upon waking to teaching them English lessons in the morning to hiking in the hills with them in the afternoons to putting them to bed after supper. This is an intense trip due to the 24-7 schedule, language barrier and the unique 3-week length of the trip.
India, Travel into rural Southern India to teach classes in the morning at a school for Untouchable children and to learn about the social justice issues behind the concept of "Untouchability" in the afternoons from human rights activities.
Download an International Service-Immersion application here (.pdf). Applications are due by Friday, October 16 by 5pm to Campus Ministry (OM 207).
Contact Lu Firestone for more information about International Service-Immersion experiences at x2422 or firestol@canisius.edu.