This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Ignacio Immersion Volunteer program at Loyola.
The program offers students a chance to travel to countries in need and work with the young and the elderly. Any Loyola undergraduate student may apply for any Ignacio Volunteer program. However, seniors are not eligible for the Belize Summer Camp because they will have graduated by the time the camp is held in July or August.
Approximately 25 people participate per year, so there have been about 200 students and almost 50 staff who have participated in the last five years.
Currently, the Ignacio Volunteer program offers students opportunities to travel to Belize for a summer camp, as well as a winter camp program in the town of Dangriga. In addition, the program includes a trip to Jamaica during the winter break and again in May.
The goals of the Ignacio Volunteer program are to help and to learn.
“On one hand, it is a service trip, assisting those in need who request our assistance,” said the Rev. Ted Dziak, S.J., director of the Office of Mission and Ministry.
Dziak described program tasks ranging from educating young children in Belize to work with elderly or special needs children in Jamaica.
“But the trip is also a time of learning—a cross-cultural experience that allows our students to truly immerse themselves into another culture, getting to know the land and its people,” Dziak said.
In addition to building leadership skills, another goal of the Ignacio Volunteer program is to fuel students’ desire to continue to give and to serve others.
“Something that the Ignacio Volunteer program is looking into for the future is the exploration of developing a Latin America experience,” Dziak said.
The Office of Mission and Ministry aims to help students involved in the volunteer program see the world with new eyes, become global citizens and develop a commitment to social justice.
Janece Bell, mass communication senior, attended the summer camp in Belize as an Ignacio volunteer in 2009, Jamaica in 2010 and Belize again in 2011.
“This program forces you to have an open mind and an open heart in everything you do, and this trip has inspired me to live every day that way,” Bell said.
Some students who have been Ignacio volunteers said they feel the program has helped them become better leaders.
Christopher Knibbs, graphic design junior, was part of the program before attending Loyola.
“For me, working as an Ignacio volunteer helped me get into Loyola, become the person I am today and helped shape my leadership skills,” Knibbs said.
There are an increasing number of students interested in participating in the Ignacio Immersion Volunteer program, and the Office of Mission and Ministry is making an effort to accommodate more students and encourage more participation.
Nhi Tieu can be reached at
