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Student Athletes Study Abroad in Peru!

‌The Office for International Programs launched a new international service-learning based study abroad course called Service Learning for Scholar Athletes (EXPL 292 International Service-Learning) during the Spring 2016 term. The program was a collaborative effort between the Office for International Programs, the Athletics Department, the Center for Experiential Learning, and Campus Ministry, and the participants were all members of the men’s soccer team at LUC.  The course, primarily held on-campus during the semester, included a 10-day study abroad trip to Peru over Spring Break. The focus of the course was on international service-learning in the context of community development, social justice, and global citizenship through the lens of sport. The trip to Lima and Cuzco, Peru immersed the Loyola athletes in a developing country through community-based work, facilitating soccer lessons with a youth development NGO. The Loyola students interacted with, and learned about, sport as youth development through this NGO, and continued to explore this through a number of non-profit organizations in Chicago to learn how they can “think globally and act locally.”  Upon reflection, many of the Loyola students discussed how this eye-opening experience impacted their understanding of how much of the world’s population exists with different levels of access to resources, how powerful sports are in terms of development and positive impact on the community, and how many students are interested in learning about other cultures. Check out this video to learn more about their experience!