Immersion Descriptions
Fall 2024
For our 2024 Fall immersions, all programming is scheduled for Friday October 11, 2024 – Monday, October 14, 2024. (There are no classes on Monday, October 14, 2024.) We expect all immersions to be in-person. Travel is by car, train, and/or plane. There are NO participant fees or fundraising requirements.
Art and Resistence
The Art and Resistance Immersion will take place in Harlem and the Bronx, New York. Participants will explore the rich cultural history and vibrant legacy of resistance and artivism in these communities. This immersion will uncover learning about the Harlem Renaissance, civil rights movements, graffiti and hip-hop culture, and the roles of art in activism. Participants will engage with diverse voices of resistance, including from the African-American, Afro-Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities, and learn about the Bronx Cooperative Initiative.
SBIA: Rural Resilience and Public Health
Our Rural Resilience and Public Health immersion is in West Virginia. Participants will work to understand the context of this state, with a focus on rural healthcare systems and the social, economic, and environmental factors affecting health and well-being. Participants will dive deeper to understand substance use disorders and treatment, and the ways in which local communities are building resilience and advocating to increase access to healthcare.
Spring 2025
For 2025 Spring immersions, all programming (including travel) is scheduled for Spring Break, Saturday, March 1, 2025 – Saturday, March 9, 2025. We are expecting immersion to be in-person. Travel is by car, train, and/or plane. The Borderlinks immersion requires a passport/visa to cross the US/Mexico border. There are NO participant fees or fundraising requirements. Undergraduate participants are eligible to apply their Federal Work-Study (FWS) award to the ABP participant position (Note that an undergraduate student may only hold one FWS position at a time).
Magis GU272+
Our vision for the immersion is to engage Georgetown in an open process that enables dialogue, reflection, community building, and tangible change for those who have been victimized by Georgetown’s settler colonial practices throughout history. We plan to engage with Descendant communities during our trip through D.C., Maryland, and Louisiana so that diverse voices can be heard on a personal level, emphasizing resilience and agency throughout the process. Reparations, community engagement, and testimony are all priorities of our immersion which we hope will lead to restoration, transformation, and justice.
Borderlinks Border Immersion
The Borderlinks Immersion strives to build participants’ understanding of immigration and intersecting issues. Through interactions with a wide range of stakeholders within the Arizona-Mexico border region, participants will learn about the structures that shape migration and gain a firsthand look at diverse perspectives and stages of the issue. This border immersion is a collaborative effort among Georgetown participants and Migrant Justice community leaders to gain a deeper understanding about immigration and systems that govern immigration from a humanitarian and legal perspective. We will humanize the issue, escape reductive misconceptions by recognizing the complexity of the issue, and address biases through learning from the people directly impacted. Ultimately, the Borderlinks Immersion aims to facilitate a sustained commitment to education, activism, and solidarity with the migrant justice movement in our communities on the Hilltop, in DC, and around the country.
Spring Break in Appalachia (SBIA): Economic Democracy
The SBIA: Economic Democracy Immersion will take place in Kentucky and North Carolina. Participants will understand the impact of globalization on rural economies in Appalachia, with a specific focus on regions including Morganton, NC and Harlan, KY, where the textile and coal industries have experienced significant change. Additionally, participants will examine the environmental impacts of coal mining and the prevalence of black lung disease in Harlan. Participants will explore worker rights and cooperative work models as strategies for building resilience in these communities.
Carceral Justice and Policing in the DMV
The Carceral Justice and Policing Immersion will take place in the DMV region (Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia). Our goal is for students to understand the complexities of the carceral system and policing in this urban backdrop. This immersion will examine laws and policies, community perspectives, restorative justice, and alternatives to incarceration. Participants will explore systemic analysis and intersectionality to gain a holistic understanding of the injustices.
Community Resilience and Building Power
Our Community Resilience and Building Power in Detroit will provide participants with an understanding of Detroit’s unique context of community organizing and the social, economic, and environmental factors that affect community well-being. During this immersion, participants will engage in in-depth discussions and activities that explore the various social issues impacting Detroit residents. Participants will delve into the challenges and opportunities within the city, highlighting the resilience and power of the community in addressing these issues.
Environmental Justice
The Environmental Justice Immersion will take place in various locations across Ohio, including Columbus, Cleveland, and Dayton. Participants explore the intersection of environmental justice, increasing climate impact, Black and Indigenous rights, Landback movement-building, and community resilience. This immersion will cover themes such as food sovereignty, urban gardening, and structural inequalities that place marginalized communities at the front lines of environmental damage and climate change. Partiicpants will engage with diverse voices, including Indigenous leaders, BIPOC farmers, and environmental justice advocates.