Saint Mary's College of California
AC-5: Immersive Experience
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Does the institution offer at least one immersive, sustainability-focused educational study program that is one week or more in length?:
Yes
A brief description of the sustainability-focused immersive program(s) offered by the institution:
Below are two sustainability-focused immersion programs offered by Saint Mary's:
1. The D.I.R.T. program
One of our most transformative sustainability-focused immersion "DIRT" (Dismantle, Immerse, Reflect, Transform) program. DIRT immersion programs begin with a rigorous series of orientations, trainings and preparation workshops. The students with their professor and field host travel to areas of extreme poverty in an effort to address quality-of-life issues of the community's choosing. More than just service learning trips, the course requires students to participate in daily reflections that look beyond treating the problem and to seek the larger social, economic and environmental conditions that led to the current condition. The group unpacks the systemic changes needed to foster more sustainable outcomes for the benefit of the host community, the surrounding region, and communities at large. Recent trips (Dominica, Tanzania, Haiti and Brazil) have focused on issues of water security, sanitation and reforestation, with the recognition that these issues are deeply intertwined and directly related to the health and wellbeing of the host communities.
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/news/service-dirt
2. MICAH Summer Fellowship
A dozen Saint Mary's & University of San Diego students are selected to participate in the MICAH Summer Fellowship each year. Each student serves 24-40 hours/week for 8 weeks at a Bay Area community organization that promotes the common good. Students’ service are varied based on the community partner that they serve. A few students every summer are placed with Alameda Point Collaborative’s Farm2Market program, a program started by and for APC youth who joined together to learn about food access and how to grow healthy food for their community. Over the years, F2M has grown into a working farm that employs residents, provides job training and offers educational volunteer experiences.
Fellows live together in an Alameda apartment and engage in a community night twice a week. During this time, students discuss readings, reflection papers, projects, and write a final paper. A Saint Mary’s staff member coordinates and facilitates the Micah Summer Fellowship program, maintaining regular contact with the Fellows and community partners.
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/centers-institutes/catholic-institute-lasallian-social-action/students-leadership-programs/summer-fellowships/micah
1. The D.I.R.T. program
One of our most transformative sustainability-focused immersion "DIRT" (Dismantle, Immerse, Reflect, Transform) program. DIRT immersion programs begin with a rigorous series of orientations, trainings and preparation workshops. The students with their professor and field host travel to areas of extreme poverty in an effort to address quality-of-life issues of the community's choosing. More than just service learning trips, the course requires students to participate in daily reflections that look beyond treating the problem and to seek the larger social, economic and environmental conditions that led to the current condition. The group unpacks the systemic changes needed to foster more sustainable outcomes for the benefit of the host community, the surrounding region, and communities at large. Recent trips (Dominica, Tanzania, Haiti and Brazil) have focused on issues of water security, sanitation and reforestation, with the recognition that these issues are deeply intertwined and directly related to the health and wellbeing of the host communities.
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/news/service-dirt
2. MICAH Summer Fellowship
A dozen Saint Mary's & University of San Diego students are selected to participate in the MICAH Summer Fellowship each year. Each student serves 24-40 hours/week for 8 weeks at a Bay Area community organization that promotes the common good. Students’ service are varied based on the community partner that they serve. A few students every summer are placed with Alameda Point Collaborative’s Farm2Market program, a program started by and for APC youth who joined together to learn about food access and how to grow healthy food for their community. Over the years, F2M has grown into a working farm that employs residents, provides job training and offers educational volunteer experiences.
Fellows live together in an Alameda apartment and engage in a community night twice a week. During this time, students discuss readings, reflection papers, projects, and write a final paper. A Saint Mary’s staff member coordinates and facilitates the Micah Summer Fellowship program, maintaining regular contact with the Fellows and community partners.
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/centers-institutes/catholic-institute-lasallian-social-action/students-leadership-programs/summer-fellowships/micah
Website URL where information about the institution’s immersive education programs is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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