Gasson Hall.
The Boston College School of Social Work has named 鈥淎ccompaniment in Action鈥� 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鈥攕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鈥檚 built on four principles that mirror the :
Walking together鈥攕upporting communities on their own terms
Kinship and shared dignity鈥攔ecognizing partners鈥� equal worth and fostering belonging
Intentional engagement鈥攚orking toward mutual transformation
Social justice鈥攃hallenging unequal systems
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 new,鈥� 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. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been practicing it for years鈥攊n the field, in the classroom, and in how we support students. What鈥檚 different is that now we are naming it and weaving it into a comprehensive approach.鈥�
Over the next three years, Calvo and Schirmer plan to integrate the theme across 黑料吃瓜网SSW鈥攆rom classrooms to field education, advising, alumni, community partners, and co-curricular programming.聽
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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鈥擠r. Paul Farmer and Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle, M.Div.鈥�84鈥攇rounding their learning in radical kinship, ethics, and human dignity.聽
Faculty, field supervisors, advisors, and staff will also receive training to ensure accompaniment is practiced throughout students鈥� experiences.
Calvo said that 黑料吃瓜网SSW鈥檚 focus on accompaniment reflects 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 broader commitment to formative education鈥攁 guided process that helps students find purpose, live fulfilling lives, and understand the world around them. She envisions 黑料吃瓜网SSW鈥檚 work serving as a model for other graduate programs at 黑料吃瓜网 and beyond.
鈥淔ormation has been a hallmark for undergraduates for a long time,鈥� Calvo said. 鈥淣ow we are making it just as tangible for graduate students. We don鈥檛 need to reinvent the wheel鈥攖his is who we are. By naming it, we鈥檙e aligning with 黑料吃瓜网 values and advancing the strategic priorities of the University.鈥�
As a Jesuit Catholic University, 黑料吃瓜网 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鈥檚 Jesuit Catholic identity with the social work code of ethics, which focuses, in part, on service, social justice, and the importance of human relationships.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not trying to change people. We walk with them, we listen, and in that presence, transformation happens,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what makes 黑料吃瓜网SSW distinctive.鈥�
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Accompaniment in Action. Graphic by Rebecca McDade.
黑料吃瓜网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鈥攑articularly those on the margins鈥攏ot to save or fix them, but to be transformed by their presence, wisdom, and humanity. It鈥檚 about building a community of kinship where divisions dissolve, he said, mutual belonging is fostered, and both parties are continually renewed through authentic connection.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 go to the margins to make a difference. Then it鈥檚 about you,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut you go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make you different. Then it鈥檚 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鈥檚 just us.鈥�
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 黑料吃瓜网SSW are invited to participate in the . The event, coordinated in partnership with the 黑料吃瓜网SSW Alumni Association and the Older Adults and Families Department, offers an opportunity to connect with the School鈥檚 community while supporting the Alzheimer鈥檚 Association鈥檚 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 黑料吃瓜网.
Both Calvo and Schirmer see accompaniment as central to student formation at 黑料吃瓜网SSW, an approach that helps future practitioners improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities without imposing their own agendas.
鈥淭his brings the mission alive,鈥� said Schirmer. 鈥淪tudents will be able to see their growth鈥攏ot only in skills, but in empathy, respect, and recognition of human dignity.鈥�