Above Photo Caption: Elise and other Fellows in her cohort pictured with Senator John Lewis.
In the seven years since my Quaker Voluntary Service Fellowship year, a lot has changed: for myself, for the world, and for QVS. In the spring of 2016, when I applied to QVS, I was on the cusp of graduating from Haverford College and excited for a chance to step away from school and do something meaningful, to change the modality of my life. At the time, that leading felt promising and full of hope.
Elise potting plants on a QVS Day when she was a Fellow
In the fall during my QVS year the feeling of hope quickly mutated into a dense anxiety as my housemates and I watched the election coverage in November 2016. The tone of our year changed overnight. And yet I look back on my QVS year with profound gratitude. The program asks its Fellows to transform through service to others, community-building, and the Quaker way and I exited the year changed. I left with a deeper sense of my spiritual self, my capabilities as an adult, and how my sense of social justice and activism could carry into my future working life as an archivist.
Time has looped back on itself and I find myself with QVS again after another disappointing election cycle, this time serving on the QVS Board of Directors. As board members and staff gathered at Friends Meeting at Cambridge this past November for our annual joint meeting to talk about the state of QVS and its future, I once again felt deep gratitude to the program that brought us together.
For two days we focused on how we will support young people who want to work towards lasting social change. QVS is in a season of experimentation as young adults’ needs are different than they were when I completed the program seven years ago. The Summer Leadership Lab, which launches this summer to engage 18-20-year-olds, is one example of how QVS is changing to meet those needs. Now is the perfect time to support QVS so the program can continue to grow and offer opportunities for young people to experiment and transform for years to come.
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
Elise Riley (she/her/hers) is recording clerk of the Board of Directors of Quaker Voluntary Service. Elise works as the accessioning archivist at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University and is a 2016-2017 alumna of the Atlanta, Georgia QVS program.
Why participate in QVS instead of applying for a job directly with a nonprofit?
QVS partners with organizations that otherwise might not be able to hire someone to help build up their capacity (perhaps adding a new role or helping spearhead a new campaign).
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
The Songs that Defined My QVS Year
Erin Lungwitz, a young adult Fellow who served in the Twin Cities during the 2020-2021 program year, shares the songs from her QVS year.
Celebrating Birthdays In a Pandemic
Rose Shuker-Haines, a young adult Fellow who served in Boston during the 2020-2021 program year, shares about celebrating birthdays and community-caretaking this year.
Waiting for God at the Schuylkill River
Sam Downs, a Philadelphia QVS Fellow, shares about God, spiritual discipline, and the importance of rivers.
