Caribbean Social Immersion Program organizes social immersion to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Guyana.
Caribbean Social Immersion Program organizes social immersion to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Guyana.
Number of participants and destinations determine our rates. For example, for groups of 12 people to the Dominican Republic for 8 days/7 nights, in 2018 we charged $1,150 per participant. For a similar trip to Havana, Cuba, we charged $1,600 per participant.
Our focus is on creating meaningful and informed encounters with people and organizations, always respecting their communities. Our only service trip is to Cuba during the summer. See more information here ».
The Core of our programs is our partnership with organizations and ministries created and run by the Jesuits and affiliated groups to create specific contextualized and informed experiences.
We carefully design our trips to maximize benefits and minimize disruptions to students and local communities. A significant portion of our budget goes to local institutional capacity building.
Our program provides structured donations to the community groups we visit. We discourage our participants to donate money directly, to minimize any misunderstanding and dependencies among the community we visit.
Since each group has unique needs and dynamics, we try to accommodate for
1) number of nights, 2) daily reflection time, 3) dietary requirements (i.e., gluten free or vegan), 4) focus (urban, rural, border, health, history, education, etc.), and 5) security and liability concerns.
Schedule Sample
Day 1
Arrival at Havana, Cuba
Introductory Meeting: History or Cuba
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 2
Lecture: History of the Jesuits in Cuba
Walk the streets of Havana: US Embassy and Habana Vieja
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 3
Mass at Parroquia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, Habana
Dialogue with Cuban Jesuits and parishioners
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 4
Meeting with elderly parishioners at Jesuit parish
Travel to the town of Cienfuegos, Cuba
Meeting with local Jesuits and parishioners
Location: Jesuit Parish, Cienfuegos, Cuba
Day 5
Visit UNESCO World Heritage Site of Trinidad
Travel back to Habana, Cuba
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 6
Dialogue at Centro Cultural Pedro Felix Varela
Dialogue at Centro de Bioetica Juan Pablo II
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 7
Farewell mass at the Jesuit parish
Trip to Varadero Beach, Cuba
Location: Centro Pedro Arrupe, Havana, Cuba
Day 8
Flight back to the United States
Schedule Sample
Day 1
Arrival to Georgetown, Guyana
Introductory Meeting: History of Guyana
Location: St. Paul’s Pastoral Centre, Better Hope, Guyana
Day 2
Lecture: History of the Jesuits in Guyana
Visits: Arrupe House, Jesuit Presbytery, St. Stanislaus College, Marian Academy, St. Joseph Mercy Wings Vocational School
Location: St. Paul’s Pastoral Centre, Better Hope, Guyana
Day 3
Flight to Lethem, Guyana
Lecture: Reading of Encyclical Letter Laudato si from the Amazons
Location: Catholic Mission, St. Ignatius Village, Guyana
Day 4
Crossing to Bonfim, Sao Salvador, Brazil (no visa is needed)
Meeting with Brazilian Jesuits
Location: Catholic Mission, St. Ignatius Village, Guyana
Day 5
Driving to Karasabai, Guyana
Meeting with indigenous groups
Location: Saint Angel House, Karasabia Village, Guyana
Day 6
Meeting with indigenous groups
Location: Saint Angel House, Karasabia Village, Guyana
Day 7
Driving back to Lethem, Guyana
Flight back to Georgetown, Guyana
Location: St. Paul’s Pastoral Centre, Better Hope, Guyana
Day 8
Flight back to the United States
If you have more questions, please contact
our United States Coordinator
Josefina Sáchez, here.