Friday, August 08, 2008

Maryknoll Bolivia Mission Immersion Program

MISSION STATEMENT
Rooted in our shared charism and spirituality, the Maryknoll family of Lay Missioners, Brothers, Sisters, and Priests in Bolivia believes in facilitating mission for all members of God’s Church. Through the Maryknoll Bolivia Mission Immersion Program we offer mission exposure trips and volunteer opportunities. We foster formative and transformative experiences, introducing North Americans to mission, to cross-cultural engagement , and to the realities of Bolivia. We invite them to a deepened understanding of justice and peace as central to living the gospel.

Mission Immersion Program Opportunities


Volunteers: Six-week, six-month, and one-year mission immersion in Bolivia doing full-time volunteer service. Individuals, married couples, and families are invited.
• Maryknoll Bolivia will place volunteers in ministries that reflect Maryknoll’s values, favoring partnership over paternalism, empowerment over dependency, and reflecting gospel values. Placements will be determined according to availability of mission sites and talents and interests of volunteers as determined in application and interview process.
• Maryknoll Bolivia will find housing for volunteers, provide orientation upon arrival in Bolivia, accompany volunteers throughout their time here, and assign each volunteer a Maryknoll missioner as a mentor.
• Upon completion of service, Maryknoll Bolivia will facilitate a process of mission integration and re-entry to the U.S.
• Program will ordinarily begin in January and late June/early July.
• Special programs for families with children are available.

Exposure Trips: One- to three-week mission immersion experiences in Bolivia for groups of 8-15 people from the U.S.
• Groups from universities, parishes, activist organizations, and others are invited.
• Maryknoll Bolivia will assist with the facilitation of pre-trip preparation.
• Groups will be introduced to mission and to Bolivia as they meet Maryknoll missioners and Bolivians involved in a variety of ministries.
• Groups will engage in daily prayer and reflections on experience.
• Maryknoll Bolivia will organize presentations and sharing around the social, political, economic, cultural, and religious reality of Bolivia.
• Participants will visit diverse historical and cultural sites, projects, organization, and communities.
• Maryknoll will serve as a resource for continued involvement with mission and global concerns.

REQUIREMENTS:
• Visa
• Vaccines
• Speak Spanish or be willing to study Spanish
• Two years of college or equivalent experience
• Previous service experience
• Documented good physical health.
• Six weeks volunteers need at least level of a 6-week language course (~one year university Spanish in the U.S.)
• Six-month to on-year volunteers need demonstrated proficiency in Spanish.

For more information, contact me at  maryknollbolivia at gmail dot com.

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