Welcome to the Center for Community Service and Justice at Loyola College in Maryland.

We are pleased that you are interested in the work of the Center!

The Center for Community Service and Justice is comprised of four distinct, yet interconnected components of community based, justice focused, experiential learning:

• We are the community service office – offering all members of the college community the opportunity to be involved in community service.
• We coordinate service immersion programs – offering all members of the college community three to ten day opportunities to live in and to be of service in a community where people suffer from some form of marginalization.
• We collaborate closely with the Office of Service-Learning – sharing knowledge of potential community partner agencies and assisting in the development of on-going relationships with such agencies.
• We promote justice education – sponsoring speakers, workshops and trips that enable members of the Loyola Community to explore and think critically about a wide variety of issues which threaten the peaceful, healthy existence of individuals, local, national and international communities.

We exist first and foremost for the students of Loyola College, though we invite all members of the college community to join in the work of the Center. Being student-focused means that in all that we say and do, we invite and include student input. Our paid student staff (twenty-one) are our hearts, arms and legs in the Baltimore community and beyond. Leadership training is a significant part of a student’s education at Loyola, and consequently his/her activity or employment within the Center.

Our community partners are key players in our work. They keep us focused and grounded. They, along with those whom they serve are our teachers. We resist the temptation to do what we think would be good or helpful and take our lead from those based in the community who know better the needs of those they serve.

All of our programs subscribe to the P.A.R.E. model, which stands for Preparation, Action, Reflection, and Evaluation. Through this model, we hope that each service experience is educative, offers the individual involved the opportunity to learn about or grow in solidarity with persons who are marginalized and to grow or mature in one’s own faith or spirituality.

In summary, at the Center for Community Service and Justice we strive to offer direct and indirect service opportunities, as well as a variety of other forums which are educational, contribute to the building-up of individuals and communities and enliven the words of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. further developing “men and women for and with others.” 

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