Movement 134

I
Finding community
Susannah Rudge introduces the work of JVC.
The Jesuit Volunteer Community (JVC)
programme offers 18-35 yearoldsthe opportunity
to spend eleven months volunteering
in an inner city area in Britain, working with
those who often find themselves on society's
margins, such as refugees, homeless people and
those with disabilities. As the project's name
suggests, the concept of community lies at its
heart, together with three other 'core values' of
social justice, spirituality and simple lifestyle.
In each city where JVC operates, volunteers live
together in small groups from which they are
encouraged to build community.
Guidance is offered by the project's organisers
but the shape that community takes is largely
determined by the volunteers themselves. Unlike
in established religious orders, there is no set
rule of life in JVC besides the four core values
and an agreement from volunteers to co-operate
with the basic structures of the year. Volunteers
are drawn from a range of countries. Most
(though not all) are Christians, but they usually
come from more than one denomination. A11
this means that living as a community can look
quite different for each group and nailing down
a typical experience is hard. Nonetheless, I would
like to share some reflections that emerged from
my experience of being a volunteer in Liverpool
from 2005-6 and of accompanying subsequent
volunteers as a'Community Partner' or mentor.
Communication and the desire to give and to
receive seemed to be the most influential factors
in community life. In every group I knew, times
when things were going well were times when
thoughts and experiences were shared, from the
mundane (making a compost bin, recounting the
day's events, laughing at stupid jokes) to the more
significant (thinking about the meaning of life,
discussing past experiences, celebrating Easter
together). In a balance of sharing the everyday
and the more profound, trust could develop and
people's different needs became clearer. It was
possible to see the community living together
rather than merely alongside each other, and
to notice its members moving beyond mutual
tolerance and seeking mutual growth. For me,
this spirit of 'togetherness' was the greatest
difference between a JVC community and a
houseshare. It was grounded in something more
deeply rooted than whether or not we liked one
another at any given moment and was purposefully
nurtured through communal meals, prayer
and social time.
Naturally conflict occurred at some point even
in the strongest community. It varied in severity
and duration. Sometimes it could be resolved
through one discussion; other times it was much
harder than that. In the diffrcult moments in my
community, I think we felt the 'flip side' of the
freedom we had been given; without a specific
rule of life, formal vows, or any hierarchy, it
could be hard to agree on the 'right'way forward.
However, there was the assistance of Community
Partners and an excellent programme of retreats
where we could take time to reflect.
Whilst the house of volunteers is the most
obvious focus for community in JVC, most
participants soon realise that'community', like
the other three core values of the programme,
has a remit that extends into many areas of
life. Community can also be sought within the
volunteers' work placements, the local surroundings
and the wider world. Usually it is fairly
easy to find a sense of community in JVC work
placements because they are with organisations
already committed to social justice, inclusion
and bringing people together. For example, I
worked with LArche, whose purpose is to build
community between adults with and without
learning disabilities. There, once again, communication
and sharing mattered most, particularly
the ability to share through simply spending
time with others. Building tangible community
beyond the house and placement, on the other
hand, can seem like a task beyond the scope of a
JVC project. Sometimes my community's efforts
- chatting to the woman at the bus stop, buying
eco-friendly washing powder, writing Amnesty
International Christmas cards felt rather -
feeble, to be honest, when set against all the
world's problems. Yet we reminded ourselves of
that well-worn but accurate saying the ocean
-
is made of many drops!
What has really encouraged me about
community in JVC, however, is not only the way
that it has numerous facets, but also the fact that
it seems to have a truly lasting impact. It has been
really encouraging to meet other former volunteers
and find that even those for whom JVC
22 Movement