Fellows serve up to 32 hours each week at our partner organizations. Up to 4 hours a week is spent in personal and professional development as a team. Johnson Service Corps' mission is to develop young-adult anti-racist servant leaders through participation in a year of social justice engagement, intentional community living, servant leadership training, and spiritual formation.
Johnson Service Corps vision is to offer transformative opportunities for young adults to re-imagine vocational discernment and pursue a life-long journey of community engagement sustained by spiritual practice. JSC helps young adults discern vocation and lifestyle that flow from each individual’s unique calling.
Service Activities
For 32 hours each week, Fellows will provide support at their assigned partner organization, allowing them to both better understand the intricacies of non-profit work as well as develop transferable professional skills. Our tentative 2024-2025 partner organizations are listed below, though our nonprofit partnerships evolve and additional nonprofit service opportunities may arise as well:
The Pauli Murray Center:
The Pauli Murray Center embraces the transformative power of collecting and telling stories and truths as a process that heals these divisions and promotes human rights. Fellows will focus on archival work, administrative support, and facilitating programming that advances the center's key programming areas.
Book Harvest:
Book Harvest provides an abundance of books and ongoing literacy support to families and their children from birth and serves as a model for communities committed to ensuring that children are lifelong readers and learners. Fellows will provide administrative and programmatic support.
Reality Ministries:
Reality Ministries creates opportunities for adults with and without developmental disabilities to experience belonging, kinship and a community of respect. Fellows will provide program, event, camp support, and community care.
Habitat for Humanity:
Habitat for Humanity partners with families to create better, healthier, more financially stable lives through homeownership. Fellows will support current Habitat homeowners and advance the development of new Habitat homes.
UCAN/Seeds:
UCAN (Urban Community AgriNomics) and Seeds are environmental and food justice organizations in Durham. UCAN/Seeds is a split program where Fellows dedicate half their time working with both organizations where they will oversee volunteers, assist with marketing and programming, as well as aid in day-to-day garden needs.
Center for Responsible Lending:
Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) is a non-profit, non-partisan research and policy organization dedicated to protecting homeownership and family wealth that focuses on fighting consumer predatory lending practices. Fellows will provide administrative, event, and communication support.
Community Need Addressed
Service & Social Justice Work
Each Fellow is matched with one of our partner organizations and works 32 hours/week. These local non-profit organizations and social service agencies address diverse social justice issues and provide needed services to members of our community. Although partner organizations may change from year to year, Johnson Service Corps always strives to place Fellows with organizations that provide meaningful work with appropriate training and supervision.
Current and past partner organizations provide services in the areas of need including homelessness, substance use and addiction recovery, mental illness, health care, conflict mediation, job readiness, literacy, women’s issues, affordable housing, financial policy, food access and nutrition, immigration, senior citizens, and childhood readiness.
Position Outcomes
Our Fellows finish a year of service with a broader understanding of social issues and a stronger sense of self. Our partner organizations that Fellows are placed into will increase their capacity to address needs such as community and non-profit development. Together JSC and our partner organizations develop young-adult anti-racist servant leaders through participation in a year of social justice engagement, intentional community living, servant leadership training, and spiritual formation.
Benefits
Education award upon successful completion of service, Health coverage, Housing, Living allowance, Stipend, Training
Our goal is to offer transformative opportunities for young adults to re-imagine vocational discernment and pursue a life-long journey of community engagement sustained by spiritual practice.
JSC provides housing, a shared grocery budget, group counseling, spiritual retreats, health insurance, mentorship, a monthly stipend ($500/a month), and a completion bonus ($1000 at the end of the program year).
Skills you will gain
Self awareness, communication, leadership, leading small groups, public speaking, anti-racism
Competencies You Will Develop
Communication
Demonstrate sensitivity and empathy, Lead group discussion, Listen to and consider others' viewpoints, Maintain open lines of communication with others, Turn taking
Creativity & Problem Solving
Able to identify and define the problem, Capable of generating possible solutions, Communicate the problem to appropriate personnel, Improvise, Provide relevant expertise, Select and implement well-considered solution
Teamwork
Derive consensus, Develop constructive working relationships and maintain them over time, Establish a high degree of trust and credibility with others, Interact professionally and respectfully with supervisors and co-workers, Stay positive and outcome oriented, Use appropriate strategies and solutions for dealing with conflicts and differences to maintain a smooth workflow
Decisions
Accepts responsibility, Anticipate the consequences of decisions, Identify and prioritize the key issues involved to facilitate the decision making process, Involve people appropriately in decisions that may impact them, Quickly respond with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss
Tools
Carefully consider which tools or technological solutions are appropriate for a given job, Consistently choose the best tool or technological solution for the problem at hand, Operate tools and equipment in accordance with established operating procedures, safety standards, and ethical guidelines, Seek opportunities to improve knowledge of tools and technologies that may assist in streamlining work and improving productivity
Planning
Able to prioritize various competing tasks, Create environment of contribution, Create plan of action, schedule tasks so that work is completed on time, Demonstrate the effective allocation of time and resources efficiently, Drive decision making, Effectively delegate tasks, Facilitate group planning, Set goals
Service
Be pleasant, courteous, professional and respectful when dealing with internal and external customers or clients, Evaluate customer or client satisfaction, Honor the privilege of being able to work with and for those being served, Provide personalized, prompt, and efficient service to meet the requirements, requests and needs of customers, Recognize the importance of maintaining privacy and confidentiality of those being served, Understand and anticipate the needs of others, Understand the importance of one's role in the functioning of the organization, Understand the significance of maintaining a healthful and safe environment