As the summer program season approaches, many congregations and dioceses begin planning social action or "mission" trips with young people. But just how meaningful are these "trips"?

Such learning experiences can build self-esteem and leadership skills, as well as a greater sense of social responsibility.

Social action projects for young people, in order to be transformative experiences, need to both educate young people on how oppression operates in our society, and stress how we who are part of the dominant culture participate in that oppression. Rather than patronize the poor and the oppressed, participants need to learn to recognize how God is already at work in those encountered.