Come serve communities here and abroad during academic breaks through Loyola's Alternative Break Immersion (ABI) program. ABIs provide opportunities for you to expand your learning beyond the classroom. Each ABI involves a combination of direct service and cultural immersion in a host community as well as education around social issues affecting those communities. Through immersions we live simply, build community, keep faith, and do justice, while sharing work and gaining new awareness from our interactions with diverse communities and one another.

Click on the photos below to explore the different ABIs!

International Immersions
International ABIs allow students to encounter conditions they have previously only heard of. This could mean learning about the effects of the civil war in El Salvador, speaking with an indigenous woman about her artisan craft, or visiting a community development project.  Countries become more than places on a map, they become places where friends triumph over challenges together.

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Domestic Immersions
Domestic Immersions place students in a new sociocultural context within the United States, including Catholic volunteer communities in Appalachia, urban ministries in New Orleans and Baltimore, and farms in Michigan. The domestic immersion program is open to all undergraduate students.

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Local Immersions
The Local Immersions are offered in Chicago every fall as an opportunity for students to engage in some of the social issues affecting neighborhoods of Chicago. Participants gain a fuller understanding of the hopes of people struggling to thrive in our city through cross-cultural experiences and service opportunities with organizations making a difference in our communities.

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Click below to get information on and make ABI payments:

Preparation
Building community is an essential part of the ABI experience, both within your ABI group and with the host community. Each participant will, therefore, prepare for their immersion with their group through three to five mandatory meetings. These meetings involve efforts to educate the group about the host community and issues likely to be encountered during immersions.

To further prepare for your experience, there are optional service-learning courses offered in conjunction with the domestic and international program. To learn more about these opportunities click on the domestic and international immersion above.

Cost
The Alternative Break Immersion fee covers transportation, lodging, meals, and a donation to the host organization. Limited financial assistance is available, and fundraising ideas are provided for each participant or group.

You will need money for meals on the road and other personal expense. There are also opportunities to support local craftspeople and cooperatives in various communities.

Financial Assistance is available upon request. Please contact Susan Haarman at shaarman@luc.edu.

"...[our] faith requires that we immerse ourselves in the world." - Oscar Romero

For more information on any ABI, contact Susan Haarman at shaarman@luc.edu.