We are called to be leaven for transforming the world, agents for bringing about a kingdom of love and justice. Sharing Catholic Social Teaching, US Bishops, 1998
The mission statement of Seton Hall Prep states that the school’s “primary concern is to foster a student’s intellectual growth rooted in a spiritual awareness” through strengthening personal and social responsibility. The Service Learning for Social Justice program is our response to that challenge.
- We aim to increase awareness of social justice issues while promoting service opportunities to the student body.
- We challenge each member of the community to be socially aware and responsible.
To those ends, we provide each member many opportunities, both academic and experiential, to be an agent of change in the world. Seton Hall Prep believes that justice work will transform both its beneficiaries and its practitioners. Through their experiences, students will achieve a deeper understanding of the interrelatedness of all humanity and the need to participate in the shaping of a more just society.
Programs designed to make social justice a more prevalent component of the student experience at Seton Hall Prep:
Speakers: As part of their learning experience, students will hear from speakers that address the myriad injustices of our world. The goal of the Service Learning speaker program is not to promote ideology, but dialogue within the school, forcing students to question and defend their society. Some of our recent speakers include:
- Kurt Bloodsworth, former death row inmate, freed on DNA evidence
- Omoyele Sowore, Nigerian activist
- Jim Keady, anti-sweatshop labor activist
- Sr. Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking
- Francis Bok, former child slave in the Sudan, human rights activist
- Jim Motavalli, journalist on climate change and green technology
Service Programs: We strive to meet the needs of our community by means of service programs that aim to correct the injustices we see around us. Among a host of opportunities, Seton Hall Prep students are engaged in tutoring at St. Rose, sandwich-making for the St. John’s Soup Kitchen, and building houses with Habitat for Humanity. For more information on these programs, please contact Justin Kiczek or Tim Brennan .
- Habitat trip to Buffalo (Spring 2008)
- Volunteering at St. John’s Soup Kitchen
Senior Service Project: The capstone service project of a student’s life at Seton Hall Prep, the Senior Service Project challenges each senior to complete twenty hours of service, working directly with the poor and underserved. During and after the project, seniors write a reflection on their experience in light of the ten building blocks of Catholic Social Teaching. |