What is Global Outreach?

Philosophy:

Global Outreach is a student organization run under the Office of Mission and Ministry. It is modeled on the Jesuit tenets of service and of being men and women for others. The GO! program is an example of this mission being brought to life through first hand experiences serving a variety of communities both at home and abroad. One of the core principles of this program is learning the importance of social justice and working towards achieving justice for all people. The encounter often calls participants to reconsider the political and social realities they have been taught.

Another part of the program is serving people in the company of others. Participants can experience the joys and demands of living and working in solidarity within a community. Each member brings unique talents and perspectives to the group. Each member benefits from the talents and perspectives of the other members. Everyone is called to make sacrifices and put the needs of others before their own needs. Eventually, the group becomes a team and the tasks of the project are completed in a harmonious fashion. The rewards, as well as the challenges of service are heightened by the group experience.

In order to be able to experience a life similar to those being served, members are asked to live a simple lifestyle. Team members are able to think about needs, happiness, and life in a new manner. Participants are challenged to question their own values and examine what they may have taken for granted. Economic privileges and educational opportunities are reevaluated and often more appreciated.

The project is also a time to examine spiritual dimensions. It allows one to question and evaluate his or her personal beliefs. While Global Outreach is developed out of the Christian model of service, the program is open to persons of all faith backgrounds including those who do not have an affiliation to any organized religion. The hope is that each member will challenge one another in their beliefs in a positive and productive manner. It is an opportunity to expand the experience of faith through service work, as well as a call to reflect on faith in everyday life.

In summary, Global Outreach centers on four dimensions, or pillars. The first is social justice- teams are called to work in solidarity and reflect on the issues of social justice around them. The second is community - teams live, work, eat and sleep in a community, learning from one another and challenging one another. The third is maintaining a simple lifestyle and cultural sensitivity throughout the project. The final is spirituality - individual members are called to reflect on their faith and expand their spiritual life through their experience.

Purpose of the Project:

The hope and primary goal of the project is that your knowledge, sensitivity, and compassion will be increased. A commonality of human experience that crosses cultural, language, and economic boundaries will become apparent as the project progresses. Team members will meet people who live in very different cirumstances than their own. They will hear stories of intense struggles for survival, learn about people's dreams for the future, and be educated about those people's political, religious, and economic realities.

Throughout the project the team will accept the gifts of another culture and share their own gifts. By doing this the team will be taking steps towards the long term goals of ending poverty and creating a world where there is peace and justice. A service project can help build the bridges between cultures. Participating in a Global Outreach project can change your view of the world, your understanding of yourself within it, and the attitudes of all of the people with whom you share your story.

History of Global Outreach at Fordham University:

Fordham students were serving their neighbors in Mexico as far back as the 1950's. Throughout the 50's and 60's work being done was similar to what is done today: construction and teaching. From the 1950's to the 1980's the projects were run by a student club called the "Mexico Project." Back then the women would teach the children while the men worked on building homes. Dr. Maria-Paz Aspe was the moderator of the club during this time.

It wasn't until the late 80's that the Office of Campus Ministry became directly involved in the projects and began expanding the frontiers of its mission. Projects to Peru and Appalachia had been added along the way. The "Mexico Club", under the Campus Ministry Director Fr.Paul Brant, S.J., was renamed the "Mexico and Peru Club." The Appalachia projects began to grow and were eventually coupled with a project to the Navajo Reservation. A temporary club was made to handle the domestic trips that paralled the "Mexico and Peru Club." With the arrival of Fr. James Hentges, O.S.C, Global Outreach first emerged.

The domestic club and the "Mexico and Peru Club" were combined to form Global Outreach. The condensed "GO" was chosen to embrace the vision and mission of the program. There were several coordinators at Rose Hill throughout the 90's, including Frank Rizzo, who dedicated 50 years to the program. In 1998, the program was expanded to the Lincoln Center campus with the Kentucky project. In the following years projects to Appalachia, Romania, and other places were added at Lincoln Center. During this time the two campuses unified their programs so that students could apply to projects at either campus.

In the new Millennium, there are about twenty projects between the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. They include some of the original sites such as Mexico, Navajo, Appalachia and India, as well as sites that have been returned to after a long absence, such as Haiti. The program has expanded to work with the environment in projects like GO West. Fordham students can now choose between building projects, projects that work with migrant workers, homeless teenagers, Native Americans, women's rights and much more. Current advisors to the program are Campus Ministry Staff members Mary E. Owens (Lincoln Center, x6269), Carol Gibney (Marymount X 8234), and Paul Francis (Rose Hill, x4506). The Global Outreach Program will no doubt continue to expand its vision and number of destinations in the upcoming years.