Summer of Service
Project Transformation’s summer of service experience for young adults offers hands-on opportunities to build mutually enriching relationships with under served children and youth, live in intentional community, experience cultural and socio-economic diversity, and explore various careers in ministry and service. Young adults can serve in one of the following cities across Oklahoma: Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Bartlesville, Muskogee, Moore, El Reno, Enid or Mangum.
Applicants must have completed one year of college or be at least 19 years old, and must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or legal permanent resident alien of the United States to serve.
Competitive applicants for the Summer Program will:
Be highly motivated, self-starters
Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills
Enjoy working with children and/or youth
Be open-minded
Have a desire to love and serve others
Be dedicated to living in community with other young adults in a structured environment.
There are five primary components to the Project Transformation experience:
Day Camp
During the summer program, Project Transformation AmeriCorps Members work in teams to implement an eight-week summer day camp for 70 to 85 elementary children. Sites are located in churches in the heart of low-income communities. Components of the program include: a one-on-one reading program, arts enrichment, recreational activities, and other activities in which the gifts and talents of the PT Corps Members are shared with the children. Young adults also have the option of participating in Bible lessons with the children outside of their AmeriCorps service hours.
Community Living
An integral component of Project Transformation’s summer of service is the opportunity to live in intentional community throughout the summer. Young adults live in community with their peers, while experiencing daily life in a diverse, loving community. Young adults are encouraged to participate in social activities and build relationships with other members of the community.
Ministry Exploration and Vocational Discernment
Each Friday, young adults are exposed to various vocational opportunities in service or ministry through guest speakers, volunteer activities, and interactions with lay and ordained church leaders.
Through our affiliation with the United Methodist Church and not as part of the AmeriCorps program, Project Transformation offers the following options to interns:
Spiritual Development
Project Transformation invests in the spiritual development of each young adult, opening their eyes to the needs and opportunities for ministry. The program emphasizes the importance of community through worship, Bible study, and guest speakers. The interns also have the opportunity to participate in weekly worship. Interns are encouraged to examine their personal beliefs through intellectual and spiritual discussions.
Church Involvement
Each week, young adults may choose to participate in worship at their site church with their team. This is an opportunity to connect the church family to the program and its families so that sustainable relationships are established during the summer. Beyond this, young adults connect partner churches with the program by recruiting volunteers to read with the children that attend the day camp, collecting supplies for the program, and sharing the stories of their experience.
Specifics
The dates for this service experience are the last two weeks of May through the last week of July. This includes two weeks of pre-program training (located in Tulsa) and eight weeks of day camp (located in the various site cities).
- Young adults will live in community in housing provided through Project Transformation. Dinners will be provided from Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday evenings during the eight weeks of camp (as well as breakfast and lunch at the site), and all meals will be provided during the training weeks in Tulsa.
- During their summer of service, young adults cannot have commitments outside of Project Transformation, such as summer school or a part-time job.
- Sunday, Monday, and Wednesday nights, young adults must attend nightly dinners that are prepared by partner churches – this is a time to share the summer service experience with partnering volunteers. One night per week, the interns have the option of participating in a group worship time.
- On Fridays, the young adults explore vocations in ministry and service through field trips and dialogue with lay and ordained leadership of various partnering non-profit organizations, businesses, and United Methodist institutions.
- Each week, Project Transformation interns may attend their site church to connect with the host congregation and families in the community.
- At least once during the summer, young adults may speak to one of Project Transformation’s partner churches about the summer service experience – this could be to a Sunday school group, the congregation, youth group, or other community partner.
In many ways working with Project Transformation in the summer program exceeds participating in a summer job and crosses into a summer life. The time expectations can be great, but the potential for personal rewards that come from this kind of commitment are even greater. While much is expected of each intern, much is given in return in the form of love from the kids, support and fun from living in a community, and the energy created by exploring your own personal potential to impact the world around you.
Time Off
Friday afternoon-Sunday afternoon each weekend.
Fourth of July
Compensation
$1,800 living stipend, $1,200 education award (issued by AmeriCorps after completed term of service and available to be used in November following the summer of service) + room and board.
Application Procedure
Applicants should apply online.
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