June 29, 2022 -- Gasson Hall on Boston College's main campus.

Gasson Hall.

The Boston College School of Social Work has named “Accompaniment in Action” 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—sharing 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’s built on four principles that mirror the :

  • Walking together—supporting communities on their own terms

  • Kinship and shared dignity—recognizing partners’ equal worth and fostering belonging

  • Intentional engagement—working toward mutual transformation

  • Social justice—challenging unequal systems

“This isn’t new,” said Teresa Schirmer, associate dean of student experience, who is overseeing the effort in collaboration with Rocío Calvo, professor and assistant dean for Equity, Justice, and Inclusion. “We’ve been practicing it for years—in the field, in the classroom, and in how we support students. What’s different is that now we are naming it and weaving it into a comprehensive approach.”

Over the next three years, Calvo and Schirmer plan to integrate the theme across 91”ΔÎSSW, shaping everything from classroom learning and fieldwork to advising, alumni connections, community partnerships, and co-curricular events.

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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—Dr. Paul Farmer and Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle, M.Div.’84—grounding their learning in radical kinship, ethics, and human dignity. 

Faculty, staff, advisors, and field supervisors will also receive training to ensure accompaniment is practiced throughout students’ experiences.

Calvo said that 91”ΔÎSSW’s focus on accompaniment reflects 91”ΔÎ’s broader commitment to formative education—a guided process that helps students find purpose, live fulfilling lives, and understand the world around them. She envisions 91”ΔÎSSW’s work serving as a model for other graduate programs at 91”ΔΠand beyond.

“Formation has been a hallmark for undergraduates for a long time,” Calvo said. “Now we are making it just as tangible for graduate students. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel—this is who we are. By naming it, we’re aligning with 91”ΔΠvalues and advancing the strategic priorities of the University.”

As a Jesuit Catholic University, 91”ΔΠis 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’s Jesuit Catholic identity with the social work code of ethics, which focuses, in part, on service, social justice, and the importance of human relationships.

“We’re not trying to change people. We walk with them, we listen, and in that presence, transformation happens,” she said. “That’s what makes 91”ΔÎSSW distinctive.”

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Accompaniment in Action. Graphic by Rebecca McDade.

91”ΔÎSSW 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—particularly those on the margins—not to save or fix them, but to be transformed by their presence, wisdom, and humanity. It’s about building a community of kinship where divisions dissolve, he said, mutual belonging is fostered, and both parties are continually renewed through authentic connection.

“You don’t go to the margins to make a difference. Then it’s about you,” he said. “But you go to the margins so that the folks at the margins make you different. Then it’s 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’s just us.”

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 91”ΔÎSSW are invited to participate in the . The event, coordinated in partnership with the 91”ΔÎSSW Alumni Association and the Older Adults and Families Department, offers an opportunity to connect with the School’s community while supporting the Alzheimer’s Association’s 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 91”ΔÎ.

Both Calvo and Schirmer see accompaniment as central to student formation at 91”ΔÎSSW, an approach that helps future practitioners improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities without imposing their own agendas.

“This brings the mission alive,” said Schirmer. “Students will be able to see their growth—not only in skills, but in empathy, respect, and recognition of human dignity.”

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