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>> [background music] The service immersion trips are an opportunity
for undergraduate students here at DePaul to immerse themselves in a community,
a reality that's different than their own.
Almost every student I talk to after they come back from a trip, come back saying it was one
of the most life changing, transformative experiences of my college career.
>> You definitely need to go on these trips in order for you to understand what they are
about you know, what they really are about.
You can't just listen to somebody tell you what happened and actually feel strong
about these trips and about the people and the actual help that you're doing.
You need to actually experience it yourself.
>> During an immersion the activities can range from doing direct service
where you're actually perhaps serving at a soup kitchen or you're tutoring with kids
or you're helping out at an after school program.
You could be building a house or working at a building project.
Really the majority of the time is actually doing direct hands on service.
>> This is actually my second year going on it.
I went on it last year to New Orleans and this year I decided to go again.
We're working on like remaking houses and things like that.
We split up into three different groups.
I was doing a little bit of roofing, a little bit of painting and things like that.
>> I went to Cranks the Creek, Kentucky, which is like the eastern part
of Kentucky, the Appalachian Mountain area.
Our main objective to do was to help this pastor.
We had to build his roof.
We all went there without like construction experience at all.
We didn't know how to handle a hammer.
But overall at the end it went really well.
We actually got to stand on top of the roof and it did not fall so I guess we did a good job.
>> The goal is really that we bring change back home.
It's not just about who we meet and what we do
and how we serve during that week, during spring break.
It's also about how am I going to bring that change back home?
Right here in Chicago, in my own daily life, what are the changes I'm going to make?
>> I'm actually in the process of giving an interview for the Big Brother Program.
I'm actually thinking of like mentoring a child here from Chicago area
because they don't have enough male mentors for the Big Brother program that are like Latino
or African American so I'm hoping I can like get paired up with a child
that might actually need help and need a mentor, need somebody there
that helps them out with their homework.
>> It's sp fulfilling and at the same time like the people you are supposed to go help end
up helping you so much more to grow.
>> I think that's something general that anyone can take from any
of these service trips, to act; because it is an action.
All week you're doing, it's reflecting but you're also doing.
Once you leave you also have to continue to do, continue to do.
That's what anyone can take out of these trips.
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