Taking the Mission on Spring Break

Mission:Possible is a week-long service immersion trip where Gonzaga students travel to seven different cities to learn about the various social injustices affecting communities around the United States while fostering a commitment to community service-engagement. Gonzaga University’s mission statement is reflected through Mission:Possible, as it provides a space for students to develop “reflective and critical thought” about social justice issues.

Students who travel to New York hear stories of women and children affected my mass incarceration while spending time serving at Hour Children, one of our community partners. Those who visit Neah Bay, WA learn about the history of Native American oppression and inequities they face on the Makah Reservation. Direct involvement with communities experiencing injustice gives students the opportunity to see and experience perspectives outside the Gonzaga community, while developing a sense of self-awareness for the identities and privileges we may hold. Through service and intentional conversations, students learn what it means to expand their realm of “intercultural competence” within the communities they visit. The program explores the complex structures and systems that lead to the realities of injustice, while reflecting on how to engage with these complexities after returning to Gonzaga, aligning with Gonzaga mission of educating students “for lives of leadership and service for the common good.”