…Teach me to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not to count the cost,
…to labor and not to seek reward,
except that of knowing that I do your will.
St.Ignatius wrote these words in his famous Prayer for Generosity because he believed that his Society of Jesus and all good men should serve their community. All Jesuit students, parents, and faculty know that community service plays a large role in the formation of Jesuit Men and Women for Others. From working in food pantries to working in underprivileged schools, Jesuit students actively serve others around them in the community. While serving others is one huge part of community service, having a strong knowledge of social justice also plays a large role. This gap is filled by the senior Social Justice and Policy class, or SJPP.
Once a week, Jesuit seniors attend a class with Mr. Perry or a member of the community service department to learn about social justice issues and how to give back to the community. Every couple of weeks, the service department brings in guest speakers to present to the students about issues in the world today. Mr. Perry believes that “it is important for seniors when they’re studying a certain aspect of social justice to put a face with the topic, to put it in context. The best way is to give them an expert in that study.”
How do they find these experts? Well the community service team, with a little bit of research, uses their vast amount of connections they’ve obtained over the years.
In the past, guests have ranged from experts in homelessness like Jimmy Dorrall to Don Mason, the director of the HIV AIDS initiative. Another notable guest is Rosalind Funderburgh, the director of the Vanguard school, who will talk about autism and working with kids with special needs. “By talking to her, it gets seniors in the right mindset. She talked about the most successful approaches to kids with autism.” Because of her great inspiration, she will be coming back in April.
A few weeks ago the Jesuit Drama Troupe, one of the senior service groups, was asked to be guests, where they performed a skit that they put on for children at various schools in the Dallas area. The troupe uses their acting skills to teach children about social acceptance through a superhero story that they wrote themselves. Thomas Spottiswood ‘14, a member of the troupe, plays a basketball player who also has an interest in art. “What you do doesn’t determine who you can be friends with or the things you love. The lesson is going against cliques,” he says.
Spottiswood also reflected on the impact of the guest speakers like himself on the community service experience. “It gives us a more real perspective of what’s going around us in the world. The class overall epitomizes senior year: taking next step, immersing in real life situations and applications.”
Because of the SJPP class, seniors now have a more comprehensive understanding of social justice issues in the world today. With this knowledge, Jesuit students can continue to make an impact in the world today.
