"Let Your Life Speak"

Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) have counseled their members since the middle of the 17^th century to – Let Your Life Speak. They were aware then, as we are now, that words without actions are empty. It is far better to say little or nothing and let your actions – the way you live with and serve others – speak the authentic truth about your life. It strikes me that this title – Let Your Life Speak –   aptly describes the character and lives of our Good Neighbors interns.

This current posting is the first in a short series about the SML Good Neighbors Internship program and the young adults who have worked with the Good Neighbors children over the past four summers. I will share my thoughts and experiences about the program and these remarkable people. And, in future posts I will include the reflections of some of the interns about their life and work with the children; we will hear them in their own voice. You can also hear some of our interns speak about the internship program by going to our website: www.smlgoodneighbors.org and clicking on the videos.

             

When the cofounders of SML Good Neighbors began meeting over five years ago one of the core objectives that emerged was: to provide a vocational exploration experience for college students. We had a sense that the experience of working with economically disadvantaged young children in our community for eight weeks of the summer would be a transforming experience for many of these interns. I think you will see through this series of posts that the cofounders were correct – this work has a powerful impact on our interns.

The Life of the SML Good Neighbors Interns

Our interns arrive a week before the summer enrichment camps begin for a busy week of in-service training and preparation for the opening of the first camp; this is the easy part. Since interns come from many different colleges and have many different academic backgrounds, this is an important time for them to begin forming relationships within their group. In 2011, our eight interns came from five different colleges. Developing a healthy, loving community among the interns is essential to the success of the program. They are the primary facilitators of the program. And, they live and work together 24/7 during the entire summer; this is a big challenge.

             

When camp starts, the interns’ routines change quickly. They arrive at the campsite (one of the elementary schools) by 7:45 every morning. The children begin arriving by 8 a.m. and their day doesn’t slow down until the children leave at 3 p.m. But, their work day isn’t over. Classrooms must be cleaned, trash carried out, bathrooms checked, materials prepared for the next day and a group discussion held to discuss their day, problems encountered, things that need to be changed, strategies to deal with behavior problems or problems with reading or writing, and planning for the next day. If all goes well, they leave the school about 4:30. Then it is home – they live together in a home provided by Good Neighbors – to eat dinner, talk about and prepare for the next morning, relax awhile and go to bed. They are exhausted by the end of the evening and are typically in bed by nine or nine-thirty. And it starts all over the next morning. In spite of these physical, intellectual and emotional demands, the typical comment from one of the interns will be something like – “this is the hardest job I have ever loved.” I have had the privilege of working with these women and men over the past four summers and I can say without reservation – their lives do speak.

Where Do We Find These Exceptional Interns? 

 The Good Neighbors internship has become very competitive. We have more qualified applicants than we can accept. And, we are very intentional about the applicants we do accept. We specifically recruit students from colleges with a Bonner Scholars or Bonner Leaders program. These are programs funded by the Bonner Foundation - http://www.bonner.org/. If you open this link and read their mission statement it will be clear why we recruit these students. They are already involved in, and committed to, community service work and their goals are very consistent with those of Good Neighbors. In 2011, six of the eight interns were from these programs. The colleges represented were: the University of Richmond, Guilford College, Lynchburg College, and Ferrum College. Additionally, we work with the honors program and the YMCA program at Virginia Tech. Every summer, including 2011, we have had two interns from Virginia Tech.

We have also been fortunate to have experienced interns return to our program. In 2011 we had three returning interns and, already, we have four veteran interns planning to return in 2012. This fact alone affirms the strength of the bonds formed between interns and the children and the power these experiences of self-giving can have on our lives.

In the next blog post, personal reflections of our interns will be shared. I think you will understand why we believe this work with the children is so important, and why I have so much respect and affection for these women and men who give themselves so completely to the Good Neighbors children.