Above Photo Caption: Elise and other Fellows in her cohort pictured with Senator John Lewis.
Elise potting plants on a QVS Day when she was a Fellow
Damon and Elise served as QVS Fellows the same year and then served on the QVS Board together.
With gratitude,
Elise Riley, Recording Clerk of the QVS Board
More about Elise
Why participate in QVS instead of applying for a job directly with a nonprofit?
QVS Fellows are also offered greater wrap-around support in their QVS city (housing and intentional community, training in conflict resolution and anti-oppression work, spiritual accompaniment) to help them engage in service long term and avoid burnout.
One QVS Alum from 2016-2017 shared:
“QVS gave me a sense of direction — I learned at the end of the year that I needed more education, and more critical thinking around the best space for me to make long-term impact in a community. I found out what my strengths and weaknesses were, and gained clarity towards my next steps…
In my year-long position, I did a lot of typical first-job-out-of-college evaluation, but in my community I think I arrived at those conclusions faster because I had folks at home I could talk to about my experiences and feelings. It also unprogrammed the definition of success I maintained for myself before QVS; now, success is more than work, but also about how I am able to care for myself and listen to my feelings. I owe QVS thanks for more holistic visioning.”
More Quaker Service Stories
Alumni Testimonial: Working for energy democracy in the climate justice movement
A year and a half ago when I started Quaker Voluntary Service and my position at Massachusetts Climate Action Network, I had no idea what a Municipal Light Plant was. Now they have become my “life’s work” or at least make up the majority of my very short career. This...
First QVS Alumni Reunion & 10 Year Celebration
Two weeks ago, around 40 QVS Alumni gathered from around the country for an Alumni Reunion & 10 Year Celebration. This event was a first of its kind and an experiment in gathering together. QVS staff had long hoped to offer a retreat like this,...
#QVSAlum Andrew Huff Article in Friends Journal- Life in a Box
Simplicity, possession, and class—they all touched a nerve because they all speak to what it means to have power in the world, power in your own world. These same factors unite in the experience of homelessness, perhaps one of the most humiliating and disempowering experiences in our society.
