Gasson Hall.
The Boston College School of Social Work has named 淎ccompaniment in Action� as its theme for the new academic year, fostering a model of education built on listening, kinship, and mutual transformation.
At its heart, accompaniment means walking alongside others攕haring their burdens and hopes, staying present as long as needed, and being continually renewed through genuine relationships, especially with those on the margins.
In practice, it built on four principles that mirror the :
Walking together攕upporting communities on their own terms
Kinship and shared dignity攔ecognizing partners� equal worth and fostering belonging
Intentional engagement攚orking toward mutual transformation
Social justice攃hallenging unequal systems
淭his isn檛 new,� said Teresa Schirmer, associate dean of student experience, who is overseeing the effort in collaboration with Roc铆o Calvo, professor and assistant dean for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion. 淲e檝e been practicing it for years攊n the field, in the classroom, and in how we support students. What different is that now we are naming it and weaving it into a comprehensive approach.�
Over the next three years, Calvo and Schirmer plan to integrate the theme across 51动漫SSW, shaping everything from classroom learning and fieldwork to advising, alumni connections, community partnerships, and co-curricular events.
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Accompaniment in Action. Graphic by Rebecca McDade.
First-year students in the foundational course Re-thinking Diversity: Systems of Oppression and Privilege have already encountered readings from two leading proponents of accompaniment擠r. Paul Farmer and Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle, M.Div.�84攇rounding their learning in radical kinship, ethics, and human dignity.聽
Faculty, staff, advisors, and field supervisors will also receive training to ensure accompaniment is practiced throughout students� experiences.
Calvo said that 51动漫SSW focus on accompaniment reflects 51动漫 broader commitment to formative education攁 guided process that helps students find purpose, live fulfilling lives, and understand the world around them. She envisions 51动漫SSW work serving as a model for other graduate programs at 51动漫 and beyond.
淔ormation has been a hallmark for undergraduates for a long time,� Calvo said. 淣ow we are making it just as tangible for graduate students. We don檛 need to reinvent the wheel攖his is who we are. By naming it, we檙e aligning with 51动漫 values and advancing the strategic priorities of the University.�
As a Jesuit Catholic University, 51动漫 is rooted in a world view that calls students to learn, to search for truth, and to live in service to others. What makes accompaniment such a powerful theme, according to Schirmer, is in its integration of the University Jesuit Catholic identity with the social work code of ethics, which focuses, in part, on service, social justice, and the importance of human relationships.
淲e檙e not trying to change people. We walk with them, we listen, and in that presence, transformation happens,� she said. 淭hat what makes 51动漫SSW distinctive.�
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Accompaniment in Action. Graphic by Rebecca McDade.
51动漫SSW launched its Accompaniment in Action initiative earlier this month with a Q&A featuring Father Boyle, the founder of , the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.
Boyle told more than 100 students, faculty, and staff that accompaniment is the practice of entering into relationships with people攑articularly those on the margins攏ot to save or fix them, but to be transformed by their presence, wisdom, and humanity. It about building a community of kinship where divisions dissolve, he said, mutual belonging is fostered, and both parties are continually renewed through authentic connection.
淵ou don檛 go to the margins to make a difference. Then it about you,� he said. 淏ut you go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make you different. Then it about us. And so the goal is to create a community of kinship such that God might recognize it where there is no us and them, there just us.�
Looking ahead, Accompaniment in Action will be a primary topic of discussion at the upcoming Social Work, Latinx Leadership Initiative, and Black Leadership Initiative retreats. In October, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of 51动漫SSW are invited to participate in the . The event, coordinated in partnership with the 51动漫SSW Alumni Association and the Older Adults and Families Department, offers an opportunity to connect with the School community while supporting the Alzheimer Association mission to expand equitable access to treatments and programs. And in November, the will highlight the theme of accompaniment, featuring a keynote address by Cristiano Casalini, Endowed Chair in Jesuit Pedagogy and Educational History at 51动漫.
Both Calvo and Schirmer see accompaniment as central to student formation at 51动漫SSW, an approach that helps future practitioners improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities without imposing their own agendas.
淭his brings the mission alive,� said Schirmer. 淪tudents will be able to see their growth攏ot only in skills, but in empathy, respect, and recognition of human dignity.�