A Summer of Growth
The Summer Internship program at Neighborhood Ministries is a chance for high-school and college-aged youth to experience what it means to be a leader. They work alongside staff learning the value of teamwork and respect.
The internship is normally fast-paced and filled with summer camps and team building retreats. But this year, COVID-19 restrictions forced us to change almost all the routines of a typical summer internship. Through all the challenges, our interns were unrelentingly committed to continuing the work and proving to the community that we’re here for them as a ministry – pandemic or not.
Holly Alvarado attended Neighborhood Ministries programs since she was 5 years old. Last year, while working on her criminal justice degree from ASU, Holly returned to NM as a summer intern.
Thanks to your support that made Kids Club Remix possible this year, we served together for 8 weeks as each intern logged approximately 80 hours of training and 160 hours of work with either our Kids Club Team or Social Justice Team.
Throughout the summer, every attempt was made to maintain proper social distancing for the safety of all those involved. Like many of us these days, we struggled with face masks and fogged up eyeglasses, the inability to read one another’s facial expressions, and spotty Wi-Fi connections that made our video chats cut in and out. Through all of these obstacles, we pushed to create relational connections within our team and without, to remind others, and ourselves, that we’re not alone – even in the midst of social distancing.
We cannot say it any better than Ismail did as she summed up her summer experience:
“The lessons these young girls taught me this summer will motivate and guide me as I make my way to becoming a prepared, honest, and kind social worker,” says Ismail. “I’ll always remember Kimberly’s confession that she sometimes struggles to believe that God loves us and Natasha’s honesty in saying that it’s difficult to be the forgiving, kind people He wants us to be. Sharing with them my own vulnerabilities and doubts was a rewarding experience that allowed us all to grow in our faith. Thank you for supporting me throughout this summer. It was certainly a summer I’ll never forget!”