Tri-S

Tri-S programs for learning and serving include projects such as construction, teaching in elementary schools, caring for orphaned children, and helping with community development projects. Students serve in distant places such as the jungles of Peru, villages of the Caribbean, rural communities of Uganda, and the great urban centers of the world. Participants care for the sick in clinics and hospitals in Guatemala, Zambia, and China. In India, students assist the Missionaries of Charity in caring for the destitute and dying in Calcutta. Educators tutor and teach in Grand Cayman, Alaska, and the Dominican Republic. Volunteers support community development projects in Belize, Egypt, Brazil, and with Native Americans in the USA. Prospective ministers lead youth camps, vacation bible schools, and ministry in Finland, Australia, Germany, and England. Musicians and dramatists tour with music and plays throughout Europe and Asia.

In addition to the service projects, Tri-S programs also provide opportunities to study the culture of a particular society and to explore the environment. Cultural study programs include a wide range of learning experiences focusing on language, history, geography, art, music, and the customs and worldview of a people group. Cultural information, insight, understanding and awareness are the primary objectives of these programs. In cultural learning programs, travelers have a variety of experiences. From canoeing in the Adirondack Mountains and scaling the Grand Canyon to zip-lining in the jungles of Costa Rica or climbing Mt. Vesuvius to overlook Pompeii, Italy, the adventures come in many forms. Our students have also relaxed in the blue lagoon in Iceland, toured the Sydney Opera House, explored Hobbiton in New Zealand, and walked along the Great Wall of China. 

Although each Tri-S program is different, most consist of ten to fifteen students and a faculty or staff leader. Prior to departure, the group will meet four to five times for cultural orientation and preparation for travel. Participants prepare for their Tri-S experience by doing such things as reading and studying about the history of the culture and learning how to traverse public transportation systems. Groups will meet regularly during the time of their travel to discuss their experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

The Tri-S program provides a cross-cultural learning/service context to support the following objectives:

• The integration of faith and practice in service to humankind.
• The formation of a moral and ethical foundation for a lifestyle commitment of service to humankind.
• The development of a theoretical framework from which to interpret and understand culture.
• The learning of concepts and skills to analytically reflect on the cultural themes of one’s own culture and the culture of other persons.
• The learning of concepts and skills essential to cross-cultural communication.
• The formation of a global perspective with regard to current national and international issues.