Institute for Social Innovation

Service Immersion

The purpose of the service immersion trips is to provide Babson students with opportunities to engage in intensive service experiences with communities in need during campus breaks, and through reflective activities, promote civic engagement, leadership development, and appreciation of diversity.

The program challenges students to participate in an extended and intensive service experience during the College’s winter and spring breaks. These experiential learning opportunities help students develop a sense of personal identity and community, as well as an understanding of important societal issues, while helping others who are in need of assistance. Each trip provides the opportunity to meet new people, visit new places, and learn new skills. Service Immersion can be a very rewarding, and sometimes, life-changing experience.

 

Habitat for Humanity

Gulf ​Coast

During winter break of every year, students, staff, and faculty travel to domestic locations to help displaced families in need of affordable housing. Babson community members spend a week alongside the partner hosts from Habitat for Humanity, building family homes from the ground up. During the last several years, the focus has been mainly on Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita relief work in Louisiana and Mississippi. Last year the destination was Indian River, Florida.

Travel dates to Vero Beach, Florida: January 2023

El Salvador​

Since 2007, every spring and summer Babson faculty, staff, and students participate in Habitat for Humanity International trips to El Salvador. Babson volunteers have built homes in the cities of Santa Ana, San Salvador, and La Paz. Most recently Babson has started an entrepreneurship program in a small village in Ahuachapán, where volunteers teach entrepreneurial leadership skills. Both prog​rams are weeklong immersion trips where volunteers will learn about the community and culture and participate in building homes and teaching entrepreneurship.

Travel dates to Ahuachapán, El Salvador: March 2023

Youth Entrepreneurship Program

Tanzania​

As part of Babson’s mission to educate entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value everywhere, each January a Babson team of volunteers, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends, travels to the Ganako School in Karatu, Tanzania, to teach entrepreneurship to youth. This one-week intensive program works with approximately 100 high school students, teaching them the basics of Babson's entrepreneurial methodology, ET&A™.

In addition to teaching, the group will spend two days on safari and will explore the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara National Park.

Travel dates to Karatu, Tanzania: January 2023

Guatemala

As part of Babson’s mission to educate entrepreneurial leaders who create great economic and social value everywhere, a Babson team of volunteers, including students, staff, faculty, alumni, and friends, travels to Antigua, Guatemala, to teach the youth entrepreneurship program. This one-week intensive program works with approximately 50 high school students, teaching them the basics of ET&A.

Travel dates to Antigua, Guatemala: TBA

Staff and Faculty Opportunity

Any and all Babson staff or faculty interested in co-leading a service immersion trip—apply today!

Photos from Past Service Trips

Babson Service Trips