Cycles of poverty, violence, and despair have trapped poor communities and neighborhoods throughout Greater Los Angeles in downward spirals of despair for decades. Innocent children in these areas face enormous disadvantages because they lack quality education and health care. Many marginalized adults and families are left to fend for themselves in such a vast metropolis, adding fuel to the fire. Even with many minds dedicated to addressing these challenges, Los Angeles County still retains the dubious titles as both the gang and homeless capitol of America.
The mission of the Los Angeles Urban Project is to change Los Angeles by bringing college students and poor communities into mutually beneficial partnership. LAUP is InterVarsity’s six-week intensive immersion experience in which college students partner with community-based organizations to serve the needs of the urban poor in Los Angeles. Our ultimate goal is to raise up a generation who will lead Los Angeles into becoming a city that seeks the common good of all its residents.
This summer LAUPs will give 50 to 100 college students real-life experience of living out faith through partnering with community-based organizations. Student interns live among those to whom they are ministering, attend churches in urban communities, and are on a fixed-income comparable to the residents of those neighborhoods. In the midst of this experience, interns receive teaching about the Christian foundations of service, justice, reconciliation, and compassion. They also receive regular training in leadership, teamwork, and decision-making. The combination of hands-on experience, theological foundations, and practical equipping sets students up to explore the full potential to use their educational opportunities to transform the world for good.For more information about participation, or about playing a leadership role with LAUP, email Scott Hall at Scott_Hall@ivstaff.org
If you're interested in applying to be a LAUP participant, visit our website to request an application: http://www.intervarsity.org/urban/summer.php
