What IS JVC?

No, seriously, what is JVC?

Over the past few months, as I have shared with family and friends about my upcoming departure, I have struggled to explain exactly what JVC is. More often than not interactions have gone as follows:

Camila: I'll be volunteering for JVC for two years in Peru. 

B: What's JVC?

Camila: It stands for Jesuit Volunteer Corps. 

B: So, like, you're a missionary or something?

Often, I find myself justifying or trying to explain away the religious aspect of the program to many of my loved ones who either practice a different religion or none at all. My usual descriptor of JVC that tends to placate others and my own self-conscious state is: "Peace Corps with a Jesuit twist." 

I understand why someone might initially balk at the idea of serving with a catholic program for two years. For many years I struggled with my own sense of faith. The very idea of attending a Jesuit university had me squirming in discomfort and the application to Santa Clara University was only filled out through the tenacity of my mother (I would go so far as to say she forced me to apply).

So for those of you who react a little when you hear JESUIT volunteer corps, I ask that you give it a chance as a program before you even begin to feel put off by the catholic element of what we do. I promise, I'll have so much more to write about in the days to come concerning the influence that the Jesuits have on the program and perhaps can find some common ground for us all.

Okay, but I still don't get what JVC is...

JVC's mission statement is as follows:

Aspiring to create a more just and hopeful world, Jesuit Volunteer Corps 
engages passionate young people in vital service within poor communities, 
fostering the growth of leaders committed to faith in action.

JVC is about connecting with others throughout the world and acknowledging the difficulties that so many people face each and every day of their lives. It is not simply an opportunity to volunteer my time and help others but to walk alongside someone else as they experience life in ways so different than my own may be.

There is an extra care put into the work of Jesuit volunteers that I'm not sure you can find anywhere else. I find a simple example in the gift I received from my future housemates already living in Tacna. 


Our future fellow Jesuit Volunteer's in Tacna sent these envelopes to be opened during the remaining months before departure. Each envelope included a small prayer or reminder that would help ease our anxiety or remind us to cherish our family and friends that we would soon be leaving behind. The act of preparing these little reminders revealed to me that our future housemates were already thinking of us, concerned for a well-being, and hoping to ease the transition into this next step of life. 

I never would have thought so far ahead or considered helping someone I had yet to meet. Would you?

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps is not simply a program with an expiration date; it provides a way to experience life that is filled with careful attention to others. Through this program, I hope to learn the tools needed to practice presence, compassion, and reflection each and every day of my life.

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