admission@loyolacollege.edu 044-28178291/292/293
School of Service Learning

OUTREACH


From the Desk of the Director...

One of the most important objectives of Jesuit Education is to form men-and-women-for-others; men and women who will live not for themselves alone and men and women who are completely convinced that love which does not issue justice for others is a farce. It means that those who enter through its portals will have to come out with a seasoned heart that is sensitive to the needs of the underprivileged and the disadvantaged. Jesuit education insists on having hands-on learning in the world of the poor. On the one hand, it affirms the learning within the classrooms and on the other hand, it allows the learning to happen outside the campus - on the streets, in the slums, in the villages, among the poor and with the marginalized. Loyola, therefore, takes the students to the slums for intervention in Chennai.

The UG students are provided an exposure to the slums to understand the stark realities of life in the slums and to reflect on the possible ways of development. The UG students are involved in 90 hours of community service work in the urban informal settlements and the PG students are engaged in the task of intervention in the rural and urban informal settlements for 90 hours. The service done by the students mayl not be enough to bring about a drastic change in the lives of the people in the community, but it will definitely have a profound effect on the students' outlook and will transform their hearts and lives. Every student in Loyola learns to question the system after being with the people in the slums. This questioning is the first step towards realizing justice.

PG students are taken to the villages to learn and understand about the socio-economic conditions and the political landscape of the villages. The students are made to understand the issues related to agriculture, poverty, unemployment, migration, alcoholism, bonded-labour system, caste-discrimination and other issues pertaining to a particular village. The wrinkles on the face of a rural woman, the guileless smile of rural child and the ruptured feet of the rural men, and all that they observe in the villages make indelible imprints in the lives of the students. Most of the students happily undergo this enriching experience and some of them, we are aware, feel coerced to undergo this training. In any case, Loyola, all the more feels that it is needed and therefore, it is mandatory.

They are our people, our nation and our origin. We are happy here as there is someone slogging throughout day and night to ensure our happiness. We are in higher education asn there is someone paying for the subsidy. As adults, we need to be aware of the reality - 'that someone' is giving and it pinches 'that someone'. Therefore, service learning in Loyola is not an appendage but it is a part and parcel of our holistic education and integral formation.

"Helping one person might not change the whole world, but it could change the world for one person. It's not how much you do but how much love you put into what you do, that counts."

Rev. Dr. A. Louis Arockiaraj SJ,
Director, Department of Service Learning (Outreach)

Contact

Rev Dr A Louis Arockiaraj SJ

Director,
Department of Outreach,
Loyola College (Autonomous),
Chennai - 600 034.
Tel: +91 44 28178200 (Ext:347)
hodoutreach@loyolacollege.edu