Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Ready, Set, GO!

Global Outreach, or GO!, is a program at Fordham that gives students an opportunity to participate in service and immersion trips around the country and around the world.  GO! projects are based upon four pillars: social justice, simple living, community, and spirituality. Unlike other volunteer opportunities here at school, GO! teams make long-term commitments to their projects, as they spend time together each week in the months leading up to departure learning more about themselves, each other, the community they will be visiting, and the work they will be doing.  Rather than focusing on providing charity, students approach these projects with an open mind and a positive, yet humble, attitude.  They are taught to understand that injustices are complex, and that practicing solidarity with a community different from their own is as much a goal of the program as the "help" that they may be able to provide to that community.

Puebla's location in Mexico.

At the beginning of this semester, I was accepted to participate in GO! Mexico.  Over winter break, I will travel to Cholula, a city in the state of Puebla, with ten other students.  For ten days, we will live in home stays with Mexican families while we work with a local non-profit organization and learn about sustainability projects in the area.  Although we have not yet made our journey, Global Outreach at Fordham has already been an enriching and rewarding experience.  I feel fortunate to have gotten to know my team members - a diverse group of people who I may not have met otherwise.  And I'm looking forward to our trip in just 23 days!

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