HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps Interview Questions
HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps' main purpose is SERVICE in communities around the world. Volunteers gather from around the world to restore communities badly affected by material poverty; they teach children, train teachers, mentor youth, rebuild areas that have felt the impact of natural disasters among other areas. Each year, several volunteers from HOPE worldwide Canada offer to travel and to serve on several of these programs, some locally, others internationally.
We had a chance to catch up with one of our Halifax volunteers, Mackenzie Jessen, who travelled to Nepal and served there in July and August of 2019, and we wanted to ask her about her experience serving there.
First, thank you for volunteering on the recent HVC in Nepal! We could not do what we do without eager, dedicated volunteers like yourselves. What initially drew you to volunteer with on this Volunteer Corps?
For this particular HVC I wanted to go on it to challenge myself and travel to a place I never thought I’d visit ever before. As well wanting to go to use my strengths in leadership and to learn new ways to serve than I had done on previous trips.
What was your favourite part of volunteering on the HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps?
My favourite part of volunteering was the excitement of the children’s faces whenever they saw us come to visit them and play games, their joy is so contagious and something I don’t get to see quite often, and feeling like us being there does impact their days. As well as, when I was helping with a computer class and teaching Photoshop to some students, I was able to learn things I didn’t even know from the students and it felt very accomplishing to see them grow and learn with something I take for granted every day.
Is there something you have learned or observed about the communities that we serve in that has helped you or had an impact on you in some way?
The biggest thing I noticed about serving in Nepal is how resilient the communities are, their drive that they have to work and learn is so amazing and they really don’t seem to take life for granted.
Is there a particular motto or thought that motivates you to volunteer with HOPE worldwide and can you share a bit more about that?
I’m just striving to be more like Jesus and serve in a way that can help me see the love the world has and the love that I can give. From this it gave me the chance to apply to become a GSI and allow myself to motivate others to do the same!
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Is there anything else you would like to add?
HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps offers such a great opportunity and I honestly feel everyone should go on an HVC in their life no matter their age, it is such a life changing experience like no other.
Update: Since coming back from the HVC in Nepal, Mackenzie applied to, and was accepted into the HOPE worldwide Volunteer Corps Global Service Intern (GSI) Leadership development and training program; and will be helping lead the HVC to the Bahamas this coming July! She is also an active volunteer in her local HOPE worldwide Canada – Halifax Chapter.