College Partners Spotlight
Written by Patrick Webb, 2021-22 participant
College graduates who become participants in The Shalom Project learn of the organization through various means. One way is thanks to our college partners, who shared with us their perspectives on why The Shalom Project can be beneficial to post-college students. Some comments have been edited for clarity.
Benefits of A Service Year
Kimberly Phillips, Eastern Mennonite University’s Director of Career Services, said for some students looking at post-college options, “service” has certain negative connotations, such as not having any money or being unable to launch a career afterwards.
“I tell students that something like The Shalom Project really can be a wonderful launchpad into what they might want to do next,” said Phillips. “Because, yeah, you’re not going to earn a lot of money. But a lot of the things are covered for you.”
The Shalom Project covers housing for participants, who also receive stipends for food, transportation and cohort outings. The Shalom Project also offers a student loan fund to help participants start paying their loans and six free counseling or spiritual direction sessions.
“It’s kind of a nice step, once you leave the college atmosphere,” Phillips said.
“If you go somewhere like The Shalom Project, you’re still kind of in a cohort.”
Participants enter into an intentional living community with up to five other fellow Shalom Project participants. Going beyond being roommates, participants do activities together, which in the past have included eating meals together, going on outings to local attractions, and hosting karaoke parties. Participants also support each other with their individual challenges and celebrate each other’s successes.
Another benefit The Shalom Project provides participants is that they still have some structure, Phillips added. They attend weekly seminars which have included professional speakers, meetings with local leaders, learning about the enneagram, and group activities such as walking around a prayer labyrinth. Participants also attend monthly one on one meetings with the director of The Shalom Project to check in about their experience.
Service can also provide a connection to participants’ faith traditions.
“Being a Mennonite, faith based institution, service is a huge interest for a lot of EMU students. It’s one of those cornerstones of the Mennonite faith,” said Phillips.
According to David Kendall, Director of Goshen College’s Career Networks, some research shows “humans are happiest when they’re giving back.”
“The thing that I see that’s really appealing is that The Shalom Project helps make a difference in Lancaster County, through community projects, relationships and partnerships,” said Kendall.
Work Experience
For some students, Phillips said, The Shalom Project provides an alternative to moving back home to search for a job.
“It helps them get an idea of ‘What am I looking for in my career path or next experience?’ Especially for students who might not have done an internship,” or work based learning in college, said Phillips.
Phillips added service work can help participants build skills employers look for, such as cultural sensitivity, working with people from difference, and flexibility.
Participating in a service year after college also provides students time to discern their interests.
“I think there’s so much pressure on college students to jump right from their undergraduate years into their lives,” said Stephanie McConnell, Franklin & Marshall College’s Director of Employer and Community Partnerships. “That’s really an illusion in a lot of ways. It undermines the fact that life is a really long, complex and phenomenal journey.”
“The idea that you have to catapult, you have to launch and you have to land, is a design that has been placed on a far more interesting story. Which is that you have to journey forward,” said McConnell.
“And to really journey forward, you have to have a sense of your destination,” she said. “You have to have good companions and the things that you need, practically speaking, and almost more importantly, internally.”
“That’s what The Shalom Project really offers people. A place to do good work externally and internally, so that you’re ready for this really big journey ahead of you,” said McConnell.
Community
The Shalom Project’s participants enter into the broader Shalom Project community, including alumni, church and nonprofit leaders, and their fellow participants in the intentional living community.
“I don’t think there are many opportunities in one’s life to do what The Shalom Project is offering a person the opportunity to do,” said McConnell. “The fact that you can spend a year in community with people who are thoughtful, mindful and prayerful. You can be entrenched in the incredible community we have here in Lancaster, and be of service to your fellow humans and make people’s lives richer, safer and healthier.”
Working in a community also benefits participants.
“When we have a strong community, we feel like we are supported and have a purpose,” said Kendall. “You can also foster and bolster what we might perceive as being truly happy. I think those would be two real benefits for anyone leaving college. To say ‘Hey you know, you’re going to be able to give back and you’re going to be able to live in community and reap the benefits of that and see why that’s important.’”
Thanks to our college partners, alumni from various colleges and institutions, including Eastern Mennonite University, Franklin & Marshall College, Goshen College, and Messiah University have joined the Shalom Project. If you attend one of these colleges and are interested in serving, feel free to reach out to your career services representatives and The Shalom Project, at julian@shalomlancaster.org.
Don’t see your college or university listed and still want to participate? The Shalom Project is open to new partners and participants from various backgrounds and institutes. Perhaps you will open the door for future alumni of your alma mater to serve.
