Region Post: The Eastern Region

YouthWorks sites are split up into four different regions that work year-round developing relationships in communities and working out the details for the summer. Regional Director Drew Powell and Area Directors Scott Hicks and Lauren Bouchard comprise the Eastern Region. In this post, we hear from Lauren about her experience setting up “Beyond” sites. 

If I sound partial to our Beyond site in Philadelphia, you might think it’s because I’ve spent my year setting up the programming that will happen there this summer. But there’s more to it… I’m partial because Beyond Philly is a dream that our partner organizations have had for years. And this year, we are making that dream happen. It’s because in Philadelphia we have community friends who asked if they could devote more of their time and energy to explain what the work they do to high school students…who asked to help them learn more about how food sustainability and hunger impact Philadelphia…  who asked because they believe in empowering students and want to see high schoolers continue serving back home.

I know what you’re thinking—because I think it too. “Umm… isn’t that the hope of every YouthWorks site?” As the people who work in our Minnesota office say, “You betcha.” OK… no one really says that, but the answer is a resounding “YES!” And 100% true.

Beyond sites aren’t the only places we want people to be able to meaningfully serve, learn from individuals in the community, and go home and want to keep serving. But Beyond IS where we intentionally step back, look at the whole picture of one community and think, “How can we spend our service week looking at this place through the lens of one theme and intentionally structure what we do to connect the dots about why this issue matters to Jesus AND  why it should matter to us?”

Beyond means our communities are willing to give more of their time and energy to share their passion for what they do and work alongside youth. In Philadelphia, this means I’ve had monthly meetings with a dear friend who has lobbied the city’s energy company to allow our groups a chance to see its green roof. It means there are farmers who will give up their Monday evenings to share what led them to start a garden in their neighborhood to help get fresh fruit and produce to their neighbors. It means our local food bank will open their doors to 30 high school students two days a week, City Harvest is providing resources for ways students can get involved in green efforts back home, and Philly farms and co-ops will help us provide fresh, local ingredients for the meals volunteers will eat.

To me, that’s what makes Beyond sweet. It isn’t just me planning what I want to happen this summer in Philly—it’s a community asking, “How can we share what is happening in our neighborhood with people coming to visit? How can we show them why this matters and why they should care?”

So, yes, I’m partial to Philadelphia… and Cairo… and Eastern Shore… and Puerto Rico…. and Pine Ridge, Site One…. and Jackson… and Minneapolis… and Kansas City, KS … because I’m partial to youth having the chance to learn from a community and think about why things like racial reconciliation, immigration and learning about other cultures matters to Jesus.  

You can take the girl outta jersey, but you can’t take the jersey outta the girl.  Lauren Bouchard is a jersey girl who has been working in the YouthWorks Philadelphia office as an Area Director since 2009. She loves the beach, good lattes and anthropologie.