selecting our partner agencies

Danielle Bastien, Area Director for Alaska, shares a bit about the selection process of our partner agencies for the 2013-2014 JV year.

Even though 2014 sounds far away, around this time each year, area directors begin the process of selecting partner agencies for the following year of service. No matter how long JVC Northwest has partnered with an agency, each agency must reapply to have a JV each year.  After receiving the partner agency applications, the area director assigned to that locale reads through the applications. And so begins a series of meetings in which the agencies for the following year are chosen by consensus among the area directors.  Meeting compelling needs in a locale, quality of supervision and mentoring, amount of training and orientation available, and meaningful duties and responsibilities for the JV position are all factors in deciding which agencies to accept.

This may seem like a dry process, but I find it really exciting.  It’s amazing to hear about the wonderful work done by agencies throughout the Northwest and to learn about the roles Jesuit Volunteers play in working toward social and ecological justice.  Hearing about each agency when we select them in December also helps later in the process of matching JV applicants to positions for which they interview during the spring.

While partner agency selections are not finalized, it’s energizing to think that over the next few months, the agency will interview a JV for the next service year, and come August a JV will join the team of an agency to continue their on-going justice work.  Most of all, selecting agencies is a tangible way to show the impact that JVC Northwest has by providing supportive and transforming experiences for JVs and serving vulnerable populations and ecosystems throughout the Northwest.