Peru YAVs Joe Tobiason and Anna Gray working with the CAMBIALO (change it!) program in La Oraya. Photo by Debbie Horne
Where can I serve?
The candidate, the site coordinator and the Young Adult Volunteer Program staff work together to discernment placement. National placement interviews take place by telephone. Because of the difficulty of long-distance communication with some international sites, international placements require in-person interviews. These are conducted at a Young Adult Volunteer Placement Event. Candidates are encouraged to look at possible placement both nationally and internationally.
national sites
Atlanta
Located in the heart of the south, Atlanta is known as the capitol of African-America and is often seen as the headquarters for civil rights. Gain experiences that will break down some of the stereotypes that people often have of those in the city and allow yourself to see the face of God in those with whom you interact
Austin
Ayava House (an acronym for Austin Young Adult Volunteer and AmeriCorps) recognizes the growing desire of many young people to engage and transform their world through a deep commitment to service. Austin Seminary desires to offer its resources to young adults working through faith-based programs as well as our national service corps. We recognize that both programs engage young people who will serve in ministry and leadership capacities in their faith traditions as well as their communities of residence.
Boston
The Boston Food Justice Young Adult Volunteer (BFJYAV) program gives young adults a year-long experience living together in intentional Christian community and engaging in the mission of Presbytery congregations to secure healthy, just, and sustainable food for all people. At the heart of the program are practices aimed at cultivating spiritual growth, vocational discernment, and leadership development, along with social and congregational transformation.
Chicago
Chicago is often seen as the birthplace of the study and emphasis in ‘urban ministry.’ This team engages the community, studies its authors, rides its public transit (CTA) and seeks to integrate into the life of this amazing midwestern yet world class city. This site seeks young adults to serve and to learn with the people of Chicago, to engage in intentional Christian community and personal discipleship, to work with local ministries and agencies and to explore urban, multicultural ministry as a vocation and calling.
Chinook, Montana
Chinook is an agricultural-based community; grain farming and cattle ranching are the predominant industries. Chinook is the county seat of Blaine County, population 6500. While the majority of Chinook’s population is Caucasian, half the residents of Blaine County are Native American.
Denver
Denver is a Dwell/YAV site that focuses on community involvement and personal growth, with a heart for the neighborhood around the YAV house. The “Wolff Den” is a large welcoming house sitting on Wolff St on Denver’s West side. The team is supported locally by multiple church partnerships and a local board made up of members from the community and representatives from the supporting congregations.
Hollywood
To live in Hollywood means to seek the face of God amidst the juxtaposition of the fame, fortune, and the poverty just outside what’s captured in the camera frames. With the largest and most diverse homeless population in the nation, YAVs work in agencies and ministries that engage on multiple levels and encounter peripheral issues of economic injustice, domestic violence, and human trafficking. Concurrently, YAVs live and build relationships in a vibrant community with predominantly Central American immigrant neighbors, working towards mutual use and stewardship of a community house.
Miami
Miami is arguably the only US city that reinvented itself with waves of migrations of various immigrant groups. Only 12% of the population of Miami is anglo/ caucasian and this lends itself to an incredible year of cross-cultural, multi-cultural service of our vocations, our values, and our faith. DOOR-Miami seeks young adults interested in the adventure of urban ministry and relational impact to serve in incredibly diverse communities.
Nashville
YAVs are placed in agencies that focus on social justice and systemic change. They also participate and have leadership roles in local PC(USA) congregations.
New Orleans
To be a Young Adult Volunteer in New Orleans is to seek God and be transformed in one of the most unique cities in the world. In New Orleans you will cry with and serve your neighbors who grieve the effects of Hurricane Katrina, poverty, violence, and a disappearing wetlands and you will joyfully dance in the streets with those same neighbors at Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, or a passing Second Line. The YAV program in New Orleans offers many opportunities for you to engage the city of New Orleans on many different levels and to seek God in the tension of sorrow and celebration. The purpose of the Presbytery of South Louisiana’s Young Adult Volunteer Program is to offer to young adults a God-Seeking, Life-Changing experience that prepares Young Adults to take part in God’s mission in the world for the rest of their lives.
San Antonio
YAVs serving in San Antonio have the unique opportunity for immersion in a Hispanic culture while taking language classes to develop their Spanish language skills. Participants will live in one of San Antonio’s oldest neighborhoods with its rich Mexican and German history.
Tucson
At the Tucson Borderlands, volunteers will live in a communal house while working in a variety of positions. These positions range from helping lead educational delegations in Mexico, to working with college students at the University of Arizona, to filling water tanks in the desert and drafting recommendations for border policies.
International sites
Kenya
Volunteers work with ministries and programs of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, a denomination that is very intentional about its life, witness and outreach to the people of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is primarily known for its tragic history of communal violence. Volunteers work with local churches and community projects to address the legacy of division and help lay foundations for a positive, shared future, particularly (though not exclusively) through work with youth and children.
Peru
YAVs are placed through the Uniendo Manos Contra la Pobreza, the Peru Joining Hands Network. The desire to address the root causes of poverty is what pulls the 14 Peruvian institutions in the Peru Joining Hands Network together.
Philippines
The program in the Philippines is about developing servant-leaders through faith in action. The 10-month placement will include immersions into different church and community settings that expose the Philippine reality as a mosaic for reflection and socio-cultural understanding. Each volunteer will be matched with specific and suitable work responsibility in one setting addressing relevant and compelling issues that requires transformative community action.
South Korea
The volunteers will be placed in educational institutions, local churches, after school programs and community development programs. They will also have opportunities to relate to a worshiping community. Teaching English, writing and editing Web-based publications in English and preparation of newsletters are examples specific tasks in which the volunteers can engage.
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Comments
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Is there any way a married couple could participate? My husband is 22 and I m 21.
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Why isn't India on this list?
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@Rev. Carlisle Dickson--if the person you mention is a young adult and is interested in serving as a Young Adult Volunteer, then please have him or her contact me. If he or she lives near one of our YAV sites (listed on the webpage), then I would be happy to put them in contact with our site coordinators to see how he or she could be involved. Thanks!
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Jennifer, Yes--you may be considered for the YAV program even if you are over the age of 30. Contact me if you have any other questions--it's great to hear of your interest!
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Do you have need for an student from Africa (now in USA) who speaks fluent French and good English?