Community Service

Transcript

Okay, everyone, please welcome Emily, a senior and community development major from Franklin, Tennessee and Angel, a sophomore from the Congo, East Africa. The Institute for G.O.D. offers students a variety of community service opportunities right in the greater Nashville area. Through programs in youth development, widow and elderly care and immigrant and refugee services, students gain valuable experiences routinely. Please take it away.

– , Alex. Community service is a big part of Institute life. We get to serve immigrant and refugee families right here in Nashville. Through my Swahili language classes, African culture and history courses, I felt conceptually prepared. But it was the classes coupled with real experiences that locked in the content for me. A couple years ago, I started implementing classroom lessons with the Congolese community and that’s when I met Angel.

– I am Angelique Nibaruta. I’m from Congo in East Africa. I grew up a refugee in neighboring country called Burundi. There we spoke French. I came to the west after graduating high school and I didn’t know English. I was very frustrated, feeling pressured by my family to know English and I didn’t know how I was going to learn this new language, my fifth language. Then The Institute started coming to my parents’ house to teach us English. It was a miracle. Every Saturday they came and they taught us. Even through COVID, they continued with us online. After a while, I beginning to think I could go to college and use my new English, so just over a year ago I started at The Institute. I have had many challenges to overcome in my lifetime, but I was so moved by the patient, commitment and kindness that I found in this community. I’m now getting a college degree using my English, overcoming all the insecurities that I had coming here as an immigrant. I really thank God for The Institute.

– Although Angel and I began our relationship through community service, today we’re classmates and more than that, friends. We now serve side by side as The Institute launched a youth development initiative with the Congolese community young people.

– I’m so happy to serve others the way I have been served. , Alex.

– , Angel. You and Emily are doing such great work together serving the Congolese youth. It’s really great that The Institute for G.O.D. students can immediately immerse themself in the diverse cultures of Nashville and get experience implementing programs to help people who need it. Great job, ladies.