Xavier’s Community Service Program (CSP)
is a planned series of experiences designed to assist the students
in becoming “persons for others.” The program, which
extends from freshman through senior year, allows students to
experience the satisfactions and frustrations of working with
others outside the school community. It gives students the opportunity
to put gifts and talents, in small ways, at the service of others.
CSP is an integral and essential part of the Xavier curriculum.
In freshman, sophomore and junior year, engages in a CSP weekend.
In freshman year, the CSP takes place in one of the villages on
Weno. In second and third year, the class goes off island. The
class is accompanied by their religion teacher
and the class moderator, along with members of the Campus Ministry
team.
In the summer between sophomore and junior year, each student
is asked to complete approximately two weeks looking into possible
sites for their senior year Community Service Project that will
take place the following summer. Each student is asked to visit
different organizations in their community and spend some time
observing the activities of the organization. The student might
remain with one organization for the two-week period or might
visit and observe at several different organizations.
In the summer between junior and senior year,
each student is asked to complete 160 hours of service to his
or her community. Each student will have a supervisor who can
help guide the student and to certify at the end of the CSP that
he or she has successfully completed a minimum of 160 hours.
We ask that every chance be given to the student to work directly
with people. In the past, some students have been given tasks
that result in their working alone in a back office organizing
files or some kind of similar work. While this may be a help to
the organization, the aim of the CSP is for the student to serve
with the organization working directly with others. Students have
helped people by translating, assisting others in filling out
forms, by tutoring and teaching, by assisting at the hospital,
and a range of other services.
During the CSP, students keep a daily journal detailing their
experiences and write a brief reflection paper after each forty
hours of service. When students return to school in August they
spend the first day or two sharing with their classmates their
summer CSP experience and writing a final reflection paper on
the their experience.
