Service Learning:  Intercultural Immersion Experiences

Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions

Service Learning in the RHCHP provides opportunities for students to immerse themselves in cultures different from their own as a means to challenge themselves to critically think about and better understand cultural differences.  These experiences put emphasis on the importance of cultural competence in the health care field and allow students to address extremely important issues regarding health care disparities on a national and international level.  

Through Jesuit Catholic tradition, students are called to promote social justice and to discern the influence of their actions from the perspective of the poor and marginalized in society. As students work alongside community partners, they develop their capacity to listen and to learn from people whose voices are often not heard. Through these experiences, students can grow in solidarity and come to see society as an integrated, diverse whole. As members of the human community, it is easy to forget, dismiss, or distance oneself from people living the reality of marginalization. When students glimpse the relational nature of justice, they will hopefully be transformed to rise to meet the challenge of becoming positive change agents for a more just society and dedicate themselves to an ethic of service to their fellow human beings.

The goal, therefore, of intercultural immersion is not simply to experience and gain a deeper understanding of the voices of the marginalized in society, but rather to learn about inequitable systems and gain the tools through which the structures of society can be challenged and changed.   

Intercultural Service Learning experiences are guided by the following core philosophy objectives:

• Developing the analytic skills necessary to understand the relationship of power and privilege in contemporary society;
• Cultivating students who respect and embrace ethnic and cultural diversity
• Instilling a special concern for the poor, marginalized and the oppressed which leads to action;
• Living, working and leading in an increasingly interconnected global society; and
• Striving to create a learning environment that celebrates differences, values the uniqueness of individuals and instills a passion for justice for all people.

Annually, Regis students travel to the Wind River Reservation in Ethete, Wyoming to learn and serve with Arapaho and Shoshone children at Wyoming Indian Elementary and Middle Schools.  While there, students provide health and wellness education related to locally identified health concerns to K-8 students. The interactive health stations compliment the schools' health curriculum.  In return, our visiting students and faculty engage with Arapahoe and Shoshone healers and learn about traditional healing practices.

DPT student teaches health education on the Wind River reservation.

Regis students are drawn from graduate and undergraduate nursing programs, as well as the Doctor of Physical Therapy, and Health Services Administration and Management programs. The group is led by faculty members from the each department, and RHCHP Service Learning Director. Statistically, the reservation life- experience has led to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, alcoholism, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.  The Wind River Intercultural Immersion creates an opportunity for RHCHP students to research the reasons behind the prevalence of some of these illnesses on the Wind River reservation, and to examine their own responses and actions while developing awareness and respect for the cultural differences they encounter.

Project Mercy Ethiopia has developed from a collaborative arrangement with Project Mercy, a 501(c)(3) engaged in community development with the people of Yetebon, Ethiopia.  The Project Mercy Ethiopia intercultural experience combines academic study with an international immersion to explore the concepts of social justice, ethics and human rights, diversity awareness and sensitivity, and population-based health care for underserved groups.  The program encourages students to increase their understanding and become critically conscious of the divide between the economically well-off and impoverished countries of the world while addressing health care needs in the global community.

Regis student with Ethiopian children

For the past twenty-one years, students, faculty and staff have spent their Spring Break in Nueva Rosita, Mexico, a small mining town in the northeastern state of Coahuila. The Mexico Intercultural Immersion creates an opportunity for RHCHP students to research and live an experience that will allow them to better understand the reasons behind some of the health disparities in Mexico and on a global level, and to examine their own responses and actions while developing awareness and respect for the cultural and socioeconomic differences. The program encourages students to increase their understanding and become critically conscious of the divide between the economically well off and impoverished countries of the world. The specific goals of the program include:

• Providing students with knowledge and experiences which lead to critical reflection, new perspectives and understanding of global health concerns and disparities.
• Gaining tools through which one can advocate and influence health care systems here and abroad.
• Providing experiences that foster personal and professional growth in the area of cultural competency and global citizenship.
• Promoting values of reciprocal learning and cultural respect, while increasing cultural sensitivity and cultural competence
• Developing cross-disciplinary awareness and communication skills for the good of the group
• Supporting team (graduate and undergraduate) and community needs as defined by all stakeholders
• Broadening participant’s understandings of health, cultural, and economic conditions in Mexico
• Exploring health needs/support with a geriatric focus
• Facilitating health promotion activities for the adult and children
• Offering consultation services that will facilitate practice tests and measures

For more information about the Mexico Immersion Experience, please contact Sharif Abdelhamid at sabdelha@regis.edu or 303-458-4188.

The Appalachian immersion seeks to expose students to the long standing issues of physical and mental health of the Appalachian residents. The regional differences show that history, environment, culture and politics have combined to create disparities that cross state boundaries. These differences point to the need for interstate collaboration or federal coordination and sharing of resources. Specific program goals include:

• Address domestic social justice issues
• Utilize cost effective approaches
• Provide students with a transformative social justice experience focusing on the role of socio-economic issues connected with the health of the Appalachian region
• Provide learning opportunity in cultural competence (i.e. rural communities)
• Create commitment to long term community and civic engagement
• Meet with community providers, leaders and activists