Events & Calendars Quaker Voluntary Service Information Table

In advance of her evening info session, Zenaida Peterson of Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS) will be tabling in Keefe Campus Center to share information about the program.

QVS is a national organization based in the Quaker faith tradition and modeled on other faith-based volunteer programs, such as Lutheran Volunteer Corps, Mission Year and Jesuit Volunteer Corps. The purpose of QVS is to provide opportunities for recent graduates to spend a year living in an intentional community with other young adults and to directly serve marginalized people through full-time volunteer positions with nonprofit agencies, actively seeking to transform unjust social structures. QVS currently has houses of service in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland and will be opening its fifth house this fall in Minneapolis.

QVS makes for a great gap year opportunity, given that it's an 11-month experiment, living at the intersection of transformational spirituality and activism. Participants work full-time in professional positions at community-based organizations addressing a wide range of issues, while living in a cooperative house and being mentored by local Quakers. Fellows receive housing, transportation, food, support for health and wellness (including access to health insurance, if needed) and a small stipend, while engaging in workshops and retreats that allow for continuing education in social justice, faith and community building topics.

Stop by Zenaida's information table to learn more about the program's structure, what her own service year was like, and how interested students can apply to participate before QVS's upcoming March 15 deadline.