Click below for general information about our Immersions:

Travel and Payment Information
Border Crossing Experience
Theological Reflection
Educational Tracks
Immersion Seminars
Weekend Program Summary: Tijuana, Mexico
Weeklong Program Summary: Tijuana, Mexico
Aspects of Immersions
Applications and Forms

Our border-crossing experiences include: 
Educational-transformational immersion seminars – Includes weekend immersion seminars (Friday through Sunday) and 7 day educational-transformational seminars (from Sunday to Saturday), both seminars are designed to fit the interests of church members, students of all ages, government officials, community organizers, seminarians, universities and colleges, business persons, and community and labor organizers.

Networking Opportunities – Through the seminars participants will have opportunities for relationship building and strategy development in order to be equipped and able to respond to the challenges of a global economy which is affecting community leaders, theologians, business persons, workers, students, activists on U.S. - Mexico  border and from around the world.

“Justice Champions” Leadership Training and Development Opportunities – Seminars, workshops, lectures and educational – theological resources facilitate the development and empowerment of emerging justice leaders. Our efforts are focused on capacity building and follow up in other to help participants to develop a better understanding of the impact of the global economic trends and economic policies on social conditions, health, gender, culture, immigration and labor rights as well as on the environment.

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Theological Reflection
There is a theologically-based need to cross borders if participants would like to grow as individuals and as a human family. At the Romero Center we accept that borders will never disappear, but we also believe that borders don't have to divide or separate. Borders can be privileged meeting places and through our immersion opportunities participants will be invited to look at the border and to reflect theologically about the border communities as places with an important function, as markers that enable us to recognize and respect the differences that make us who we are as individuals and societies.

Through immersion experiences Romero Center’s participants will be in contact with the realities of the Mexican-American experience at the border while reflecting, from a mestizaje theological perspective, over the fact that Latinos/Latinas are people in exile, pilgrims living authentic Christian lives in their mañana hopes and dreams, including the important role of Hispanic women and their real capacity for interpersonal life.

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Our Educational Tracks:
We offer educational-transformative seminars within three different areas of interest or tracks:

1. Spiritual/Theological Track: Through the spiritual-theological track, participants will have the opportunity to engage mind, body, and spirit. The methodology will include education, reflection and action and all of them from a border’s theological perspective, including interaction with the people in praxis. On this track the Center also provides the opportunity for the study and reflection on Border Native American spirituality/theology through our partners at several Native American nations on the US-Mexico border.
   
2. Environmental Racism/Justice Track: Through this track participants will be exposed to the realities of environmental contamination and degradation created by multi-national manufacturing companies in Tijuana; to the migrant “explosion” of the cities along the border; to the population growth along the border and how all these situations are related to the fact that many Mexicans are unable to support themselves in other parts of their country, and decide to move north with the objective of taking advantage of the newly created jobs in the maquiladora sector. Participants will also be able to observe and reflect on the significant health problems, massive poverty, crime, and environmental degradation resulting from the maquiladora camps in Tijuana.
   
3. Globalization\Workers Rights Track: Through this track participants will be exposed to the inner realities of maquiladoras in Tijuana. The track will offer “maquiladora tours” through which participants will be able to observe the working conditions; demands on the maquiladora workers. While facing the complex situation and the always increasing interrelation of communities on the border, participants will have the opportunity to analyze and struggle with questions like:  How should concerned people respond to situations like the one they observed? How can communities work to address the pressures they're experiencing in the midst of the changes caused by globalization?
   
   

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Let us customize the educational/transformational experience that best suits your needs:
If you don't see a category or track that's right for you or your group, we will be happy to assist you in any way possible. If you don't see exactly what you had in mind, please contact us by submitting a no-obligation support request through our email immersions@theromerocenter.com. We will be happy to assist you in discovering the best immersion experience possible.

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Centro Romero facilitates educational-transformational immersion seminars along the border focusing on issues of globalization, economic policies, immigration, and community empowerment.  Participants have the opportunity to meet with people of different perspectives on a variety of social, political, economical, faith, and environmental issues. Centro Romero strives to coordinate visits and talks with people whose lives on both sides of the border and that are directly affected by the challenges of the U.S. – Mexico border (San Diego-Tijuana). 

Centro Romero immersion seminars are based on Pablo Freire educational model. According to Freire, education should be structured around a particular problem or issue identified by the community in question and the critical analysis of their realities follow by intentional work seeking social change; connecting the areas of education, advocacy and mobilization. At Centro Romero we understand that all participants bring their unique experiences, perspectives and backgrounds. Throughout our weekend or weeklong program, opportunities for reflection are built into the schedule providing the space for interaction between participants. All participants are encouraged to fully engage in the totality of their immersion experience including planning, readings, visits, discussions, and reflections.  

A typical immersion day consists of four to five site-visits in the city of San Diego and/or Tijuana. During our weekend program we spend most of our immersion time in Tijuana. During our weeklong program we balance our time between San Diego and Tijuana sites. Our activities include talks with activists; community organizers; church leaders working to bring about social change.  

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Weekend program summary: Tijuana, Mexico - $200 Per Person (minimum of 10 people per group)
The following time schedule offers a summarized look at the possibilities for a weekend immersion seminar in Tijuana.

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Weeklong program summary: Tijuana, Mexico - $365 Per Person (minimum of 10 people per group)

The following time schedule offers a summarized look at the possibilities for a weeklong immersion seminar in Tijuana.

Participants should be aware that the immersion experiences offered by Centro Romero can be at times challenging, as we intentionally move beyond the traditional tourism attractions in order to critically analyze the implications of the different challenges on both sides of the border. We ask our participants to come to be flexible and open to a learning transformational experience. In a dynamic environment like the U.S. – Mexico border plans may change from day to day, as it is sometimes difficult to stay on a fixed schedule due to unexpected events or situations on the border. Regardless of any trip changes that may occur, you will have an educational and transformational experience.

Travel and Payment Information

Travel
Groups are asked to make their own travel arrangements when traveling to and from San Diego.  Each group should send their travel information to Centro Romero  (immersions@theromerocenter.com) as soon as it is confirmed. Centro Romero can recommend a private shuttle service that your group leader can arrange for transportation from/to their airport. Care should be taken to coordinate arrival times to minimize airport trips. 

Immersion Seminars Fees
The fees for Centro Romero immersion seminars are $200.00 per person for the weekend immersion experience and $365.00 for the weeklong. The fee pays for all the pre-immersion reading materials; food, programming, and international health insurance. Participants are responsible for arranging their own transportation to and from San Diego as well as for their transportation to/from their hotel. Centro Romero provides airport pickups for a minimum fee.   

Hotel:
The group leader is responsible for arranging and confirming hotel reservations. Centro Romero provides each participant with a pre-established hotel fee of $27.50 plus tax (double occupancy) and $55.00 plus tax, for single.
 
Minimum Confirmed Number of Participants:
For a delegation to run, we need a confirmed minimum of 10 registered participants. If there are fewer than 10 participants, we either ask for the group to pay the difference, or we would need to cancel the delegation. If an individual or small group would like to come on a trip, there is often the possibility of adding onto an existing group. Please contact the Centro Romero at 619-428-8700 or immersions@theromerocenter.com for details.

Payment Schedule
When calling to reserve a date for the trip, a $250.00 for the weekend immersion seminar and $500.00 for the weeklong fee will be requested.  The calendar fee goes towards the total cost of the trip.  Please note, in the event of a cancellation, this calendar fee is non-refundable.  

Please send your registration forms and fees to Centro Romero as soon as possible – at least six weeks before your scheduled trip date.  The remaining balance is due 4 weeks prior to arrival.

Spanish Language
It is not necessary to speak Spanish in order to take part in a Centro Romero immersion seminar trip. A staff person will be available to interpret for group activities and meetings. While this may make it difficult to verbally communicate with others, it will give participants a chance to explore alternative ways of forming bonds with the people you meet. If you do speak Spanish, we welcome your assistance in helping others to communicate.

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Aspects of our immersion experiences
Border theology focuses upon the notion of praxis. Praxis is action grounded in emancipatory symbols. But praxis also generates thoughts. A purely theoretical approach to our immersion experiences, involving the accumulation of knowledge only would betray the message of our ministry to its core; service is intrinsic to the learning process.
 
The analytical experience of each participant will begin before coming to the Romero Center and will focus on the readings sent to each participant before their arrival to San Ysidro. The reflective experience will start as soon as participants arrive at the Center and will be part of the learning process throughout the program. Each participant will be provided with a series of questions to help guide the analysis of the readings and their reflections before, during and after each immersion experience

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