Service Year NC celebrated with Johnson Service Corps (JSC) as they wrapped up their service year at an event on June 25 at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Durham.
The end-of-year celebration included presentations by each of the corps members reflecting on their year of service and community.
Service Year NC director Darryl Lester attended the event to show support for the local service organization.
“Listening to the presentations of learning and service for the Johnson Service Corps was inspiring and heartwarming,” said Lester. “To hear the powerful stories of the various service year participants was so reaffirming on why all young people should have access to a year of service.”
Service Year NC is an initiative of the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) that seeks to make a year of full-time service a common opportunity and expectation for young North Carolinians from all backgrounds.
Aleta Payne, JSC executive director, said that the experience of service benefits both the individual and the community.
“My impression in talking to service year participants and alums is that it’s a much broader, richer, and deeper experience than they expect going in. Yes, they get job skills, and maybe they come out with a better sense of what they want to do next. But they also come out with a much stronger connection to their community and a real sense of how to help create positive change thoughtfully and respectfully,” she said. “Both the service corps member and their community, or in this case North Carolina, benefit.”
JSC is an affiliate of the Episcopal Service Corps. It is a diverse, ecumenical community of young adults ages 21 to 28 dedicated to service and social justice in Chapel Hill and Durham, North Carolina.
To learn more about the Service Year NC initiative, click here.
