Then Academic Vice President (now President) Shane Reese called upon BYU faculty and students to make "our service and scholarship and resources available to the Church in other important areas, such as alleviating poverty." (University Conference 2022)
Boise, Idaho is an important location for the Experiential Learning Summer Trip because it is regionally located near Salt Lake City, has a significant homelessness and unhoused population, and most importantly, has civic and religious institutions working toward interfaith solutions to these problems.
There are two purposes to this proposed trip:
1) Create educational opportunities for BYU students to learn from interfaith organizations and leaders about how to build networks of cooperation.
2) Create opportunities for students to develop an interfaith, service-oriented program that enhances their experiential learning.
Boise has an active network of civic and religious communities that created a coalition for solving the homelessness issues in their community. BYU students plan to work with the “Our Path Home” Coalition, a homelessness network with 45 partner organizations. We plan to meet with local government leaders, religious leaders, and institutional leaders to learn what challenges have existed, how the coalition is working to solve homelessness in Boise and Ada County and to build service opportunities for students.