Leadership and Community Service Project with Young Life

My STEP Signature Project fell under a combined topic of Leadership and Community Service. Through volunteering 15-20 hours a week with the nonprofit organization, Young Life, I was able to be trained in leadership skills as well as be a mentor and safe presence to high school students. 

With my STEP Signature Project taking place during a global pandemic, my expectations of getting to be a part of a local community were altered, yet the experience was extremely transformative towards my view of myself and my view of the world. The semester was seemingly dark with severe Covid-19 restrictions within schools and communities, but Young Life was still able to provide a safe “place” for kids to find hope and connect to people relationally within a heavy and broken semester. The semester began by looking like we would not be able to connect as an organization with students or with other volunteers due to social distancing restrictions. However, we were able to overcome barriers and provide meetings virtually along with events outside and socially distant. I was able to learn how to navigate strain amidst a team of volunteer leaders and gather creative energy together to continue on in healthy ways. 

My understanding of myself grew as I recognized perseverance through very hard circumstances. I learned what it looked like to encourage other volunteers and root for each other when it felt like there was nowhere else to go. I was able to learn how to give grace to myself and to others when our initial plans fell through. My view of the world emerged as more hopeful than ever before because of recognizing that there is beauty in disaster and unique ways that we can come together even when it seems difficult. This project also allowed me to remember to think outside of myself and always check in on others. Many high school students are struggling to make sense of their world, and now more than ever, it is important for people and mentors to show up, be present, and listen to what they are going through and experiencing. Through a lot of brokenness and change this semester, I am left hopeful for how our world is better equipped to handle hardship in the future!

There were several key components to my STEP project that leave me hopeful and have taught me to endure. One key sequence of events that displayed this was what we call “campaigners” which is more or less a Bible Study structured through Young Life. Campaigners is usually a setting for kids to form relationships with each other and be encouraged in their individual spiritual walks, but campaigners was not able to operate as it would in a normal semester. Instead of piling in a living room and sharing snacks every week, we were able to mask-up, spread out around a bonfire in lawn chairs, and have an interactive Bible Study with kids each week. Although this looked different than normal, it left me hopeful that relationships will always continue, with or without normalcy! I was also given a lot of hope that the team of volunteers kept getting more and more creative with providing spaces for kids to be that was a safe outlet from school and home-life. 

Another aspect of this project that built leadership skills and equipped me for community service were the leadership meetings led by Young Life staff members every Friday night. Each meeting was a chance to learn how to invest in kids’ lives, how to care for people outside of ourselves, and again refreshed me and reminded me that I will always seek to be a servant to others, in or out of a global pandemic! Leadership meetings were centered on Scripture, and from the meetings I was given tools and resources to further learn how to communicate with kids and families, how to practically care for people when we cannot always be together physically, and again I felt restored in hope that we can have large influences on kids’ lives by simple acts of checking in and making them feel known and loved. 

“Club” is another part of Young Life that we get to have in a normal semester. This is a place of outreach to students that is typically a fun and high-energy event every week. Students usually invite their friends to burn some energy and disconnect from school or other points of tension in their lives. Relationships are established in this environment and often kept for years. Although we were not able to run a normal semester of club, through perseverance, hope, and endurance, my team of volunteers was able to provide events for kids to be at together. These “club” nights included an outdoor movie night, a socially distant and goofy game night, a bonfire, a cookout, and more. We could have stopped looking to show up for people when the initial Covid-19 restrictions were put in place, but after learning to give ourselves grace for not being able to provide a normal space, we were able to persevere and lead and set up a safe place for kids to be! 

Coming out of this project with more hope to persevere through hardship, practical skills to care for people and communicate with people in new ways, and tangible leadership skills among other things, will greatly impact my future personal and professional life. As I finish persevering through this last semester of nursing school, I will be set up with endurance to show up in my career for patients that need cared for. Just like high schoolers, my patients that I am a nurse to will need to feel valued and cared for. Regardless of personal circumstance, I am continually better equipped from all of my volunteering with Young Life to think outside of myself and serve any given population. These skills will be skills that I take into my job as a nurse, into relationships with my family and friends, and beyond!

What I learned from Young Life and how I have been transformed will help me persevere through many seasons of life in my future. I can count on some parts of a nursing career or even any part of my personal life being difficult at times. However, I have, at a foundational level, learned to have hope in darkness, to be adaptable to persevere regardless of circumstance, and surround myself in a community of supporters to cheer each other along the way – because that will be game changing. I have learned lifelong communication skills of how to demonstrate respect and care and so much more, whether it is through a screen, behind a mask, or in person with someone. I am full of gratitude for how my STEP Signature Project during the fall semester has given me lessons and tools to be a better leader in my community and to carry throughout my whole lifetime.