The Rev. Ted Dziak, S.J., is no stranger to travel.

As a missionary, he spent two years working with Mayan peoples in Belize and another six years as the president of a school in Jamaica. Now Dziak uses these experiences to teach Loyola students how to learn about themselves and serve others through the Ignacio Volunteers immersion trips.

Dziak started the program two years ago in an effort to make a service-centered international immersion program at Loyola. He started the Ignacio Volunteers program at Boston College in 1991 to provide an “opportunity for students to give of themselves not only locally, but internationally as well.”

Currently three trips are offered – a three-week summer camp in Belize, a service trip in May to Kingston, Jamaica, and a twelve-day Christmas camp in Kingston during winter break.

Law student Frank Flaspohler, ’09, a staff member on the upcoming Christmas camp trip, also served as staff on last May’s trip to Jamaica.

“There were specific sites in Kingston that we worked with,” Flaspohler said. “We took some students to the local hospital where they taught kids who are severely handicapped. We also worked with Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity, who have a home for the destitute and dying in Kingston.” The Christmas camp works specifically with aiding disadvantaged children in Kingston primary schools.

According to Dziak, “it takes a certain element of courage to go into a developing world that you don’t really know.” Though Belize and Jamaica are both English-speaking countries, local dialects proved difficult for English literature/religious studies senior Beau Rieger, who participated in an Ignacio Volunteers trip to Belize.

“There’s never any way to be fully prepared for a trip like this,” Rieger said. “The local people of Belize used a lot of slang and often didn’t understand American English. It was hard to form a relationship with someone you were going to teach for two weeks when you couldn’t communicate well with them. Still, it was a very personal experience that has stayed with me.”

Since its inception at Loyola, the Ignacio Volunteers program has grown steadily in popularity. “Last year we were taking 10 or 12 people, and we had gotten 22 or 24 applications,” Dziak said. “This year for our first program, we (received) over 40 applications.”

Cost isn’t a concern for most Ignacio Volunteers. Fundraising, both group and individual, takes care of the majority of trip expenses. For those who fall short of breaking even, the Office of Mission and Ministry offers the Magis Fellowship Fund to help cover the cost, according to Dziak.

Recruitment for the two summer trips will begin Oct. 28, when the Ignacio Volunteers will hold a prayer service in the Ignatius Chapel at 5:30 p.m. Informational meetings on Oct. 30 during the window and at 5 p.m. will present pictures from past trips and reflections from trip participants.

“We want a group of people who can come together and form a community,” Dziak said. “The biggest criteria (for being selected) is a desire to learn and a desire to help. It’s not just for LUCAP people; it’s not just for people who are service-minded. It’s about getting to know each other and sharing experiences and trusting each other.”

Recruitment for the summer trips to Belize and Jamaica ends Nov. 7.

Kevin Zansler can be reached at [email protected].