By their work for social justice and by the hope they bring to marginalized persons, Jesuit Volunteers make a tangible difference in the daily struggle for justice, dignity, and human rights. Jesuit Volunteers have the graced experience of forming relationships with the poor, person to person, and thus come to understand the causes and the consequences of injustice. In the United States, Jesuit Volunteers work with virtually every cultural and racial group. Internationally, the volunteers enter into the local cultures so as to accompany marginalized people. In their placements, Jesuit Volunteers provide essential service and have significant job responsibilities.
Placements are at non-profit, often grassroots agencies, as well as in schools and parishes.
All volunteers have a job description, training, and ongoing supervision, thus enabling them to learn and do the best job possible. Whether as a case worker for persons with AIDS in Mobile, a parish youth group leader in Belize, or a paralegal for battered women in Los Angeles, the goal of the work done by Jesuit Volunteers is to empower the poor to be free from the forces which oppress them. Their work exposes them to the complexities of the systemic injustices faced by the disenfranchised. In turn, they are changed by the experience. Click here to contact a JVC office near you.