What is Mission Animation?
The root of the word "animation" is the Latin anima, meaning soul. Our Catholic Spiritan mission and heritage is at the very soul of who we are as an institution at Duquesne University. Within that, the role of Mission Animation is two-fold. First, the role of Mission Animation is to help our campus community understand what it means to be a Catholic university in the unique tradition of the Spiritans. All members of the Duquesne community should be able to relate to some aspect of our mission here in order to live it out within their roles as students, faculty, and staff members. Second, the role of Mission Animation is social justice education on our campus with our students, as well as work in community engagement, particularly with our undergraduate students. This role is steeped in the Spiritan tradition of dedication to the poor and vulnerable.
Mission Animation Programming
A collaborative effort of the Center for Community Engaged Teaching and Research and Mission Animation, the Community Engagement Scholars program provides students with a structured, supervised community-based immersion in a non-profit organization, citizen action group, or philanthropic entity. Through discussion and application of social change theories, students explore the tenants of community engagement through a uniquely Catholic Spiritan lens. Students reflect critically on their emerging civic agency and the importance to our work in communities at a mission driven institution like Duquesne. The program takes a cohort of students that work with one organization over an entire academic year while attending a weekly social justice seminartaught by Mission Animation.
The entire Â鶹ֱ²¥ community is invited to participate including students, faculty, staff, and administration. Students groups and organizations as well as all University departments are asked to form teams. We will then contact the team leader and inform him or her as to all information the team members will need to know. Lunch will also be provided for all who participate.