Esperanza International is dedicated to empowering the poor to help themselves by bridging existing needs with available resources. The principal objective is community development through self-help housing projects outside of Tijuana. Working with Esperanza is not a charitable handout, but a “hand up” that liberates the poor to take responsibility for their own community.

Through Esperanza International, volunteers will explore and deepen their commitment to work for justice in our world today through a mixture of direct service, opportunities for learning and dialogue, cross-cultural sharing, community building, prayer, and recreation. Direct service projects will include construction of new homes for those in need. The program allows participants to experience how poverty and a denial of human dignity impact the lives of real persons. Participants will stay in simple volunteer housing and supply their own linens, pillows, and towels. Showers are available on-site daily but must be limited to one minute to help conserve the limited water supply. In an effort to remind students of the importance of assimilating to a culture where we are the visitors, you will notice we refer to Companions of Xavier as Compañeros de Javier for our Mexico service program.

The week is about living together as a community centered on the person of Jesus Christ. In order to do this, the four cornerstones of community, simplicity, prayer, and service are all important aspects of the week. When working in the community, we are not there to impose our values and standards of living on those we serve. The simple fact is that many who serve receive even more from those they help through home construction and repair. Most volunteers leave feeling they are taking home more than they have given because the people they work with are rich in spirit, family values, pride, and faith.

The Compañeros de Javier Service Program is for those students willing to accept challenges and responsibilities and may not be for everyone. Many high school students have found such service trips to be incredible, life-changing, and exciting experiences in which they have learned new skills, ministered to wonderful people, made new friends, and grown closer to God. Additionally, the following character traits would be beneficial to possess in order to reap the fullness of the service-immersion experience:

• Flexibility: A willingness to live simply and to do without luxuries and conveniences we take for granted in the U.S.
• Openness: The desire to explore the many spiritual, political, sociological, and economic questions raised by our interaction with the poor of Mexico.
• Respect for persons with whom we interact and for the Mexican culture.
• A commitment to reflection on experiences and the sharing of faith with fellow compañeros.
• Clear understanding of and respect for both the spirit and the policies of the program, presence at all preliminary reflection sessions, support for reflection opportunities, etc.
• Capacity for humor.
• Although not required, proficiency in Spanish (even limited) would afford the student participant an additional ability by which he could communicate more effectively with the people with whom he will interact.

This trip is open to current juniors only. After submitting their applications, students will then go through a review process by a committee of faculty, staff, and administration before being selected for the program. Each student will be expected to pay a $350 deposit up front, in addition to raising additional money for air transportation and program fees through mandatory outside fundraising ($800). This total of $1,150 covers the cost of airfare, food, lodging, and transportation in rental vans, as well as the cost of materials and labor for the construction of new homes in Tijuana. If you are selected for the program and you cannot participate for any reason, you must tell Mr. Alibrandi ASAP.

Please note that there are typically more applicants than there are spots on the trip. Past participation in CFX does not guarantee a spot on CFX Mexico.

The Urban Challenge is the cornerstone program sponsored by Romero Center Ministries. The Urban Challenge experience gives Catholics and other people of faith the opportunity to build bridges of understanding. Students will confront issues that divide communities—poverty, race, class—in a prayerful and constructive environment. The Urban Challenge combines volunteer service in the city of Camden, New Jersey, with study and prayer. During the day, students work at a variety of work sites—in schools, with hot meals programs, at drop-in centers for persons infected with HIV/AIDS, at housing construction, and with several other agencies in Camden and Philadelphia. In the evening, they discuss urban poverty, social and economic justice, and reflect on our call as disciples to embrace a “preferential option for the poor.” The group also tours the city and listens to people from the community tell their stories about living in Camden.

The Urban Challenge Program is an urban, service-learning, immersion experience rooted in the Catholic faith tradition. It offers a point of access to the lives and stories of the people of Camden and its surrounding communities. The program is built upon four fundamental components: prayer, service, education and reflection (much in line with our own CFX cornerstones of prayer, service, simplicity, and community).

There are a limited number of spots for this trip, which runs from a Thursday through a Sunday and is open to juniors and seniors. If you are accepted to CFX Mexico or Pine Ridge, you may still be eligible to participate in CFX Camden as well.

After submitting their online application, applicants will then go through a review process by a committee of faculty before being selected for the program. Once the participants have been selected, each student will be required to attend regular meetings.

Each student will be expected to pay a $100 deposit up front. No fundraising is required for this trip and the total participant cost is $325. The $225 balance will be due at a later date. If you are selected for the program and you cannot participate for any reason, you must let Mr. Alibrandi know ASAP.

The cost covers transportation, lodging, programming, and registration costs at the Romero Center as well as most meals. (Students will be responsible for their own food purchases during the drive back and forth to Camden.)