The Gift of Simple Living
Many Jesuit Volunteers find JVC's core value of simple living to be liberating. By living on a small stipend, in solidarity with those they serve, JVC offers a time and space where JVs can reflect about what really matters to them. This discernment frequently leads to a greater appreciation for their personal relationships with family, friends, and community members.
Use of Technology
Due to the limits of the small stipend, JVs may decide to forgo a cell plan for the duration of their time in JVC. Though many will have access to email at work or through local libraries, the community may choose to not allocate their funds for internet access. Be patience if your JV is not able to contact you with as much ease or frequency as in the past.
Material Gifts
JVs may experience a shift in focus due to the emphasis on simple living. During the course of the program, a JV may decide not to accept material gifts from you during the holidays, or ask you to limit the regularity of care packages. These choices are not because your JV has stopped appreciating your generosity, but springs from a desire to delve deeper into this value.
Ways to Support Your JV in Living Simply
- Send a hand-written letter.
- If you send a care package, make sure it's full of goodies that can be shared with the whole community.
- As part of a simple lifestyle, JVC asks JVs to consider their relationship with the earth and its resources. Encourage your JV to reduce his or her carbon footprint by sharing any tips you have about gardening, biking, simple or meatless recipes, natural cleaning solutions, resusing household items, etc.
- Make a donation to JVC to support your JV and others across the world.
Depending on where a JV is placed, there are certain proclivities for types of weather and extreme conditions. Evacuation proceedures are in place for the kinds of disasters that might occur regionally. JVs are encouraged to work as a community to best prepare for potential emergencies.
