When does SWERV start and end?
- For the 2021-2022 program year, SWERV volunteers will be asked to arrive at their service locations on August 22, 2021. The last day of the program is July 24, 2022.
- Each SWERV volunteer will be connected with a service agency or church for their volunteer hours. Opportunities will vary as volunteers are placed and as needs shift but volunteers may do things like home repair, volunteering at the food bank, or environmental advocacy.
- Each volunteer who participates in SWERV is asked to raise a minimum of $3000 to help cover the costs of the term of service (housing, stipend, staff, etc). This request is meant both to encourage you as a volunteer to communicate with and activate the community around you to be part of your mission service, and to give you an experience in fundraising that comes with both support and accountability. There is help available for you if fundraising seems scary or hard (or both)! And, our ultimate goal is that the program not present a financial cost to you. If you cannot meet your fundraising minimum, but can show that you have tried your best, we will work together to find a solution through alternate means.
- Nope - though we are excited to welcome folks who speak lots of different languages. As a side note, if learning Spanish is something you're interested in, we can help connect you with community opportunities for learning!
- What a good question! The answer depends on what happens with covid, and whether or not travel to Mexico is feasible while maintaining social distance and safety guidelines. The best case scenario will have SWERV volunteers traveling to visit Agua Prieta in Sonora, Mexico, during the term of service, so please do get a passport or passport card if you can! Just know that safety comes first, so all plans are subject to change!
- SWERV is a separate program, outside of the YAV umbrella, organized and overseen by TBYAV, ABQ YAV, and their hosting Presbyteries. SWERV was started in 2020 to allow for more nimble, adaptable volunteer opportunities in this age of global pandemic. Through the SWERV partnership, volunteers have more chances to serve and can benefit from the more-than two decades of collective experience brought by these two YAV sites -- while still changing as needed to respond to changing times. In the 2021-2022 program year, SWERV volunteers and YAVs will live together in both Tucson and Albuquerque.
