General Info:
The Darst Center ministry developed in response to the growing need to educate people, especially youth and young adults, about the issues of social justice and to inspire them to be intentional about their own just living. The Center introduces groups to injustice through hands-on experience working in shelters, soup kitchens, inner-city schools, and other local organizations. We strive to put a face on the poor and marginalized, and to personalize the issues beyond abstract figures and statistics. The typical retreat group comes to the Darst Center with little experience in an urban setting, and thus limited personal exposure to the injustices prevalent in this social context. Many young people from suburban or rural backgrounds have never had a conversation with a homeless person, or do not realize that there are as many as 20, 000 people (many of them children ) on a given night in Chicago who do not have a home. By introducing our retreat participants to those living in injustice, we seek to awaken a call to just action founded in compassion and respect for the human dignity of all people. The "urban immersion" aspect of our ministry is an ideal introduction to social justice because it reaches beyond politics and propaganda and touches the heart. Our retreat programming helps guests reflect on their experiences, process their feelings, and raise important questions about how their lives intersect with the lives of others. We do not attempt to answer these questions, but rather give our retreat participants the tools to discern their own path. Our retreats are generally the only opportunity a student might have to see and experience the segments of our society that are usually pushed to the margins. We hope to open the eyes of each guest so they can more readily see the connections between our actions and the issues of injustice. By exposing our guests to the real face of injustice, we empower them to truly "see it differently, " and to live with deliberate consideration for the most vulnerable among us.