Social justice in Tucson!

Dear beloved readers,

I have an exciting announcement! I will be doing a service year in Tucson, Arizona through the Presbyterian Church (USA) called the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program to live out a call to work for social justice. Growing up in the incredible community of St. Luke Presbyterian helped shape my worldview tremendously, and combined with a love for Spanish, the passion for social justice that my family and my church community instilled in me has inspired me to pursue a more just relationship between the U.S. and Latin America. Facing the sea of options open to an International Relations major/Latin American Studies minor was both exciting and daunting, but I knew I wanted more hands-on experience working with specifically migrants from Latin America so as to better serve Latino communities in the U.S. and understand the effects of U.S. policy.

The YAV program would give me this opportunity to work for justice for all of God’s children. YAVs work with the program to be placed in sites (cities) around the country to live out our faith through service work and live in intentional community with the other volunteers in our sites. Since January I have been working with the placement process and was placed in Tucson to start in late August! Actual work placements are still coming together, but I am excited to take this next step in my faith journey and serve the Tucson community by working with Latino communities and educational outreach surrounding issues of justice for migrants.

If you would like more information about the work the Tucson YAV site does, here is their website: http://www.tucsonborderlandsyav.org/

And for more on the YAV program itself: http://www.presbyterianmission.org/ministries/yav/yavexperience/

I am emailing because I want to thank you for how you have challenged and supported me along my academic/faith/life journey, and I would like to humbly ask for your support in another way. 

 

Each volunteer is asked to raise $3000 for the program before they begin their service. It is estimated that it costs the PC(USA) about $30,000 to support a YAV for a year with communal housing, a small living stipend, a site coordinator, mentoring, and community resources, and we as volunteers are only asked to raise 10 percent of that. Would you please consider making a contribution towards the Tucson YAV site? Every little bit can help support this program, invest in the amazing work the Tucson site does related to immigration justice, and live out this call to work for justice here on earth.

 

Change for Change:

St. Luke has graciously offered to help spearhead fundraising efforts with "Change for Change," where for one month, all coins and designated checks in the offering baskets during the service go to a specific charity or cause. If you are willing and able, I would so appreciate your donation going to St. Luke's Change for Change for the Tucson YAV site during the month of June.

During the month of June, you can send a check made out to St. Luke and put "Tucson mission" in the memo line, and then St. Luke will cut one check to the Tucson YAV site. Here is the address:

St. Luke Presbyterian

3121 Groveland School Rd.

Wayzata, MN 55391

One St. Luker has generously offered $1500 to match donations by the rest of the community, so we're already halfway there! Funds raised beyond the $3000 will be held at St. Luke to use for projects my site identifies once I have been there awhile. Every little bit helps, even $10, but I certainly understand if you are not able to give financially. I also welcome you to support this program and their social justice work with your thoughts and prayers, and I would challenge you to work for social justice in your own life with the time, gifts, and talents you have.

You are also welcome to walk with me in this journey by continuing to follow this travel blog, which I will keep reviving as I continue to reflect on past travels and transition to my next year of service.

Thank you for your consideration of helping support this endeavor. And once again, thank you for the time and love you have invested in me!

With love and gratitude,

Kathryn

Social justice is about solidarity, not coming up with solutions to others' problems based on our own experiences, but working with communities to generate solutions based on the circumstances and experiences of the community itself. It’s about humility, and grace, and walking in the footsteps of another.