People working together around the world to generate ideas and action for social change
Immersions are a form of learning undertaken by aid organisations. They involve development professionals living with a host family in a poor community for a short period, helping with daily tasks and sharing in family life. The visitors gain a very real experience of the cultures and conditions of the people on whose behalf they are working. Immersions, which have become more widespread in the past 15 years, can have profound effects on how development professionals understand and carry out their work, as described by Robert Chambers in an Oxfam blog. The Reality Check Approach (RCA) website has a great deal of useful material about immersions and the reality check approach, and includes an introductory video by Dee Jupp.