The Center for Mission and Identity invites LMU faculty and staff to apply for an immersion trip to Namibia and South Africa that will take place in May 2023. The trip will explore questions of racial justice, peace and reconciliation, decolonization, and liberation theology in the Southern African context. The program itinerary will include engagements in both Namibia and South Africa to learn about the history and current realities of these regions.
The annual Faculty-Staff Immersion is offered by the Center for Mission and Identity and began in 2015. To date, more than 60 faculty and staff have participated in the program. Kat Brown, director of Mission and Identity Programs, said the richness of the encounters that the group experiences is often the most special aspect of the trip. “It is one thing to read about a region or the experience of individuals in context that are different from our own,” said Brown. “But it is completely different to sit down at a table with someone and hear their stories face to face: what their journey has been, what their story has been, what are their hopes and dreams. That is really what is most transformative about these trips … to be in solidarity with others.”
Ariane White, director of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center Alliance attended an immersion trip last year to Costa Rica. That trip focused on migration, and she says that the trip was very thoughtfully curated and transformative. “My takeaway is really a renewed sense of heartbreak about what is happening in the world that inspires me to take action,” White said.
White recommends the trip to any faculty or staff who are considering attending. “I can’t recommend it highly enough,” said White. “It was such a powerful experience, one that allowed us to connect with each other, and to better understand all that is happening on the ground in Costa Rica. It was truly a gift to have this opportunity to undertake such deep learning with my colleagues.”
Applications are open to all full-time faculty and staff at all LMU campuses.
