Solidarity in Action
University Ministry's Solidarity-In-Action programs collaborate with a variety of Bay Area nonprofit agencies to provide USF students with opportunities to engage in their local community. Through these programs, our students honor the Jesuit ideals of being people with and for others, and contemplatives in action. Students witness the daily struggle of people living on the margins of society and are encouraged, through reflection, to analyze and question the systems which perpetuate this suffering.
Students who take part in our social justice programs and anyone interested is invited to participate in one or all three-stages of our Solidarity in Action (SiA) programs.
PRE-VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION
If you are looking for joining the Solidarity in Action programs and turn your values and ideals into positive action, please join us for an orientation to the University Ministry, and Social Justice program (Faith that Does Justice). This will provide context to volunteering, how the organizations work, what the service would be like, what it is specifically that we do that is intertwined into the experiences the underserved communities go through, and how to approach sensitive topics in multicultural settings. Please send an email today and book a 1:1 pre-volunteer session, with Jean-Pierre (Ubu) jndagijimana@usfca.edu.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Once you are done with the pre-volunteer orientation, you will start volunteering through the organization and mission that fits most with your call and availability. The options may include the San Francisco Night Ministry and/or the Food Recovery Network. You are welcome to volunteer through all of the options.
COMMUNITY OF REFLECTION (CORE Group)
CORE Group is a community care for social justice advocates including the Solidarity in Action volunteers and other social justice clubs that are affiliated with the University Ministry. We meet on a monthly basis to process various aspects of our lives ranging from our experiences volunteering through the Social Justice programs, emotional overwhelm, homesickness, belongingness, and hope. It is fun, interactional, educational and any USF student interested in social justice dialogue and action is welcomed to join. We meet on each 4th Thursday of the month at 11:45am - 12:45pm in the University Ministry office. Lunch is served. Please send an email if you have any questions about CORE.
Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS) Volunteer Opportunity
Farm Worker Families Project
University Ministry is supporting farmworker families in Half Moon Bay, California by providing tutoring services through ALAS (Ayudando A Latinos A Soñar). Our volunteers meet virtually with students once a week to help with assignments, homework, and provide overall mentorship.
Tuesdays: 3:45pm – 5 p.m.
If you are interested, please contact Mauricio Diaz de Leon.
Night Ministry
Spend time, share a meal, and build relationships with 20+ homeless men and women from the Tenderloin. This gathering takes place at the Faithful Fools Ministry—234 Hyde Street—where "we are called to a Ministry of Presence that acknowledges each human's incredible worth."
All donations meet at the sandwich line in the cafeteria (UC 2nd Floor) at 5:30pm. Due to limited space in the vans we can only offer a few volunteer slots each day.
For more information please contact Joel Ojeda Ramirez.
Press on Night Ministry and Food recovery network
Monthly Community of Reflection on Peace and Justice
Through our Solidarity in Action (SiA) community outreach volunteer programs and some of the student-led organizations that are affiliated with the University Ministry office (i.e. Food Recovery Network and Corpus Clinic), students witness the daily struggle and resilience of people living on the margins of society in San Francisco and are encouraged, through reflection, to analyze and question the systems which perpetuate this suffering. Students who take part in our social justice programs and anyone interested is invited to participate in our Community of Reflection (CORE) gatherings.
CORE Group is a community care for social justice advocates. We meet on a monthly basis to process various aspects of our lives ranging from our experiences volunteering through social justice programs, copying with our emotional overwhelm, building relationships, and belongingness. CORE gatherings are fun, interactional, educational and any USF student interested in social justice dialogue and action is welcomed to join.
If you want to join CORE Group, want to know how you can be part of any of the off-campus volunteer opportunities (i.e. recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste, donating it to people in need and building relationships with the homeless communities we serve), please contact Jessica Ornelas at jornelas@dons.usfca.edu.
Other Campus Opportunities
The USF School of Law Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic is looking for volunteer interpreters to help with interpreting during asylum interviews, interpreting during psychological evaluations and translating Spanish documents. There may also be other opportunities to help out.
Spanish is the most needed language but if you are fluent in languages other than English and Spanish please let us know.
If you are interested and/or would like to know more please fill in this form.
Roxana Quintero is coordinating the program and she will be organizing times to meet up to talk about what is involved, possibly over the next few weeks.
For more information, please email Mauricio Diaz de Leon.
