Post-graduate Service You must be the change you wish to see in the world. ~ Mahatma Gandhi.

Post-graduate Service

You must be the change you wish to see in the world. 

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Continue the ND tradition… Statistics from the last 10 years consistently show:

10% of each graduating class commits to a year or more of PGS,…that’s approximately 200 graduates each year

Of those 200 graduates:60-70% serve with faith-based programs

30-40% with secular programs60-70% are women

30-40% are men75-80% serve in the U.S.

20-25% serve internationally50% serve with teaching programs

20% serve with ACE15% serve with Teach for America

Main components of post-graduate service programs:

Service Community

Simple Living Social Justice

Personal Growth Faith & Spirituality

Service

Teaching and Tutoring

Working with people with mental &

physical disabilities

Health and Medical Care

Other Options include:

Community organizing

Construction

Environmental Work

Advocacy

Business Administration

Micro-financing

Youth/campus ministry

Agriculture

Legal Services

Human rights

Communications

Social services

… and more

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“I’m the first in my family to not have joined the military. But the more I learned about MercyWorks, the more I equated it with serving my country.  It was an awesome experience. I coached the boys’ basketball team, which gave me an opportunity to share the values that other coaches have handed down to me, and teach kids to apply the same discipline, hard work and dedication you need in sports to their lives off the court.”

~ Joe from MercyWorks volunteer program

Service

What Volunteers Have to Say:

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What Volunteers Have to Say:“Simple living is very important to Nancy Lynn Gepfert,who lived in Guatemala for 11 years after volunteeringthere with the Claretian Lay Missionaries. She buyseverything she can used, pays attention to where thingsare made, and, has developed an ‘ecologicalconsciousness,’ she says.

‘How I live as an individual has an impact on people allover the world,’ Gepfert says. That might be the MysticalBody of Christ. We’re all one.’”

Excerpt taken from Megan Sweas’ article, “Marked for Life,” in the July 2007 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine

Simple Living

Personal Growth

Jesuit Volunteers International

Amate House Volunteer Program

MercyWorks – Mercy Home for Boys and Girls

“I saw my volunteer service as a way to make a difference in the lives of others and to give of myself through serving an underserved population. I may have made a small difference for a handful of people, but without question, the biggest difference was made in my life.” 

~ Camille Williams, Loretto Volunteer Program

How does volunteering impact my future?• Volunteering is not about taking a year off or giving up a year.

You have the opportunity to grow spiritually, emotionally and mentally by serving others and contributing to a community.

• Volunteering is an opportunity to work in a professional environment (at a school, a nonprofit agency, a parish, etc.) and get direct, hands-on experience doing real-life work. 

• Volunteering can help you define your life’s direction. Many volunteers go on to pursue careers or graduate studies in any number of different fields.

Personal Growth

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S.M.A. Lay Missionaries

What Does it Mean to Live in an Intentional Community?

Intentional community is more than sharing a home ormeals, it’s sharing a lifestyle and a conscious commitmentto one another. Intentional community also provides…

• A means of giving and receiving support throughout the volunteer experience.

• An opportunity to work together for shared goals determined by the community.

• An opportunity to learn from one another (sharing cultures, perspectives, etc.)

Community

“You live with other people who understand what you’re experiencing at work and what it’s like to live in community. At the same time, everyone brings different perspectives on life… We have a lot of fun, but we also support and challenge one another. I have established life-long friends and couldn’t have asked for a better group of co-workers and community members.”

~ Becka from MercyWorks volunteer program

Community

What Volunteers Have to Say:

Social Justice

Former volunteer Matthew Nespoli finds, “Running anon-profit, allows him to ‘apply my love of business andeconomics to a Social justice issue.’ After visitingWaslala, Nicaragua while at Villanova University, hebecame an economics major to understand poverty. Hewrote a business plan for Water for Waslala, which helpsdevelop potable water systems in the region, and theAugustinian Volunteers allowed him to start his non-profit as a volunteer in 2004.”

Excerpt taken from Megan Sweas’ article, “Marked for Life,” in the July 2007 issue of U.S. Catholic magazine

Two Feet of Social Justice

• Responds to a long- term need

• Public, collective actions

• Resolves structural injustice

• Directed at the cause of injustice

• Responds to an immediate need

• Private, individual acts

• Requires repeated actions

• Directed at the effects of injustice

Charity Advocacy

Faith and Spirituality Photos from left to right: Top row: Salesian Lay Missionaries, FrancisCorps, Lasallian Volunteers program, Bottom row: FrancisCorps and Franciscan Volunteer Ministry

How do I incorporate my faith?

• Variety of faith commitments and charisms

• Prayer, journaling, church services, retreats, spiritual direction, formation, community…

• Most programs welcome and serve people of all faith traditions and do not do direct evangelization.

“Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.”

– St. Francis of Assisi

Catholic Social Teaching

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person• Call to Family, Community, and Participation• Rights and Responsibilities• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers• Solidarity• Care for God's Creation

What Volunteers Have to Say:

“Through the Scalabrini Volunteer Program, a faith-based service program which values living in solidarity and working for justice, there are opportunities to serve in their six Casas del Migrante throughout Mexico and Guatemala. These are houses of hospitality for migrants coming from throughout Latin America. They are all places of refuge which provide a place to sleep, eat, shower, receive clothing, medical attention, legal counseling, and various other services.

I can't think of a better embodiment of the Easter message - as the men continue on their journeys searching for a better life, they have shown me that true love involves great sacrifices.”

Maureen Fitzpatrick, ND ‘04

Faith and Spirituality

So I see there are many benefits to volunteering… but how can I afford it?

Many programs offer:

• Room and board• A monthly living stipend• Health insurance• Transportation • The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of

$4,725 towards college loans or future school costs. Federal student loans can also be deferred.

Financial Arrangements

How can I further develop educational and career goals?

• Volunteers develop transferable skills such as language skills and experience working with a team that can help them get a job or enter graduate school.

• Upon completion of their terms, more than half of long-term volunteers (53.2 %) enter the work force. A third went to graduate school. Others volunteer for another term, and some enter religious life.

(from CNVS Membership surveys; 2001-2006)

Educational and Professional Benefits

What Career Services Has to Say:

“Students who participate in post-graduate service opportunities develop a diverse array of "life skills" that help them prepare for a multitude of careers. Students' investment in giving back to society has an incredible impact on enhancing their leadership skills, teamwork, multitasking, problem solving, critical thinking, project management and communications abilities. As a result, these students have been very successful in securing jobs in government, business, health care, law, media, the environment and more!"~ Lee Svete, Career Center University of Notre Dame

Educational and Professional Benefits

What Companies Have to Say:

“When we hire, we consider full-time volunteer serviceexperience as one strong way candidates candistinguish themselves from all the applicants seekingto work in our organization. We know that the alumniof service programs succeed through partnerships,promotion and hard work. Over one-third of our U.S.staff have served in service programs. Theirexperience has contributed to our growth.”

~ Russ Finkelstein, Associate Director, Action Without Borders/Idealist.org

Educational and Professional Benefits

What Volunteers Have to Say:

“MercyWorks was a foundational year for me.  After

seeing first-hand the kinds of challenges these kidsface, I decided to address systemic issues thataffect children by becoming a lawyer.  MyMercyWorks experience gave me a passion for thiswork.  I still think about the kids and they are adriving force for me today.”

~ Megan, MercyWorks volunteer program

Educational and Professional Benefits

• Those who are 21 or who have a college degree can volunteer with programs for 1-2 years in the U.S. or abroad.

• Anyone who is at least 18 years old can volunteer with many of the summer programs.

• Volunteers from all faith backgrounds can volunteer.

• Most programs also accept 55 and older volunteers.

• High school and college groups can volunteer for week-long opportunities.

• Single and married volunteers with or without dependents also have the option to volunteer full-time.

Who Can Volunteer?

A Network of Programs• There are hundreds of post-graduate service programs. Many

faith-based programs are connected through a national network. Currently over 10,000 people volunteer with these organizations every year.

• These programs are located all over world (see maps on following slides).

• Each program has a unique mission and focus, yet they share similar values and attitudes toward service.

“Go to the people. Live among them. Love them. Learn from them. Serve them. Plan with them. Start with what they know. Build on what they have. And

when the best leaders leave, the people will say: we have done it ourselves.” ~Lao Tzu

Collaboration

U.S. Map of Volunteer Placements

World Map of Volunteer Placements

(shown below in green)

How Can You Get Involved?

Check out the following websites that offer resources on post-graduate service:

• Center for Social Concerns – socialconcerns.nd.edu• Catholic Network of Volunteer Service – cnvs.org • St. Vincent Pallotti Center – pallotticenter.org• Action Without Borders – Idealist.org• Corporation for National Service – cns.gov• Quaker Information Center – quakerinfo.org• LAUNCH – launchnd.org• Post-graduate Service Fair – Sept. 26, 5-8pm, JACC

University Personnel Testimonial

"We value these students so much that we offer to double

the educational award received by AmeriCorps alumni inscholarship to our full-time Master's program!  But I alsofind that many of these applicants, especially those whohave worked for a couple of years in service, areextremely thoughtful, committed, motivated studentswith a true Passion for the nonprofit sector. They areoften leaders In our program, for instance in our StudentLeadership Committee (student governing group)."

~Rebecca Zirm, Director of Recruitment Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations

at Case Western Reserve University

University Personnel Testimonial "Service program alumni have an advantage in thegraduate school application process due to the coupling

ofthe professional experience received along with thehuman service component of that experience. They

havealready proved with their service that they are willing totake action on their beliefs and values.  Many graduatedegree programs seek out service corps alumni and, inmany cases, reward them with financial consideration."

~James Sabourin, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Recruitment, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management Brandeis University

(and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer)

University Personnel Testimonial “Students who apply to and are admitted into the CollegeStudent Services Administration (CSSA) program atOregon State University bring with them a diverse array ofprevious life experiences. Among the most compelling arethose national service experiences like Teach for America,AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps. We often find that many ofthe candidates who have successfully completed theseexperiences and thoughtfully reflected on their learning andgrowth, make excellent candidates for graduate study.Furthermore, the global perspective gained arounddiversity, citizenship, and education provide --importantfoundations for our program's mission and the work that isdone in higher education administration.”

~Dr. Jessica White, Lead Faculty of Oregon State University’s College Student Services

Administration Program

Company Testimonial

“I currently have two former Peace Corps Volunteersworking for me at OMSI.  I think that Peace Corps is 

goodtraining for my needs.  I hire outreach educators whohave a lot of autonomy, need to be prepared/flexible fora Variety of changing conditions, and put in the

occasionallong hours in communities all over the Northwest.  It canbe tough work but the rewards of working with kids in avariety of communities seems to keep them going.  Thepay is typical for the non-profit sector, with benefits, sothey are doing it because they like it.”

~Randall Fastabend, Director of Outreach Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Former Volunteer Testimonials “I am in my 2nd year of medical school in Buffalo, NY. I spent lastsummer working in the ER and doing Emergency Medicine research.The way our health care system is currently set up, there are a hugeamount of homeless that end up in the ER as their primary care. Iknow that all of my experiences at Stout Street gave me a uniqueability to relate to and care for all of the homeless patients I saw,

andwill continue to see.”

~Kerstin May, Loretto Volunteer

“I am in the process of finishing up my 4th year of medical school atMichigan State's Osteopathic Medical School. Currently I amliving back in Denver doing a 7 week rotation at Stout Street Clinic,where I served as a Loretto Volunteer in 2003; I am living with "theMary Anns" (two Sisters of Loretto). Before graduation I will

spend sixweeks in Malawi conducting surgery. I plan on doing a pediatricsresidency followed by a pediatric hematology/oncologyfellowship. The goal is to return to Denver for fellowship and havethe opportunity of staying involved with my beloved Loretto nuns

andStout Street Clinic! “

~Leana May, Loretto Volunteer