The following is a reflection prepared by Amate House
Program & Recruitment Coordinator, Deirdre Kleist. Deirdre is an alumna of
the Amate House program from 2012-2013. When she was a Volunteer, she lived in
the McKinley Park House and worked at Cabrini Green Legal Aid. As a Recruitment
Coordinator, Deirdre travels far and wide on behalf of Amate House to speak
with young adults interested in dedicating a year of their life to service.
In the city of Chicago all of the traditional signs of fall
are upon us: there is a crisp chill in the morning air, the leaves are turning
bold shades of red, orange and yellow, and smiling jack-o-lanterns dot the
landscape of neighborhood stoops. Here at Amate House this can only mean one
thing: recruiting season is upon us!
Throughout autumn I have the pleasure of traveling across
the country, from Ohio to California and plenty of states in-between, to meet
with young adults who are discerning a year of volunteer service. Most often, I
get to represent Amate House at postgraduate service fairs held by colleges and
universities to help expose students to the wide variety of opportunities
available to them when they complete their degrees.
As I look forward to the final few weeks of recruiting, I
want to offer a few pieces of advice to students discerning service, most especially
those who will visit service and career fairs.
Don’t be afraid to
approach a recruiter. It’s wonderful when schools are able to attract
recruiters from dozens of different organizations, but sometimes walking into a
room full of these eager representatives can feel overwhelming or intimidating.
The good news is – all of us at the fair are there to help you. While each of us of course hopes you’ll choose the
organization we represent, what we care about the most is that you find a
program that suits your needs, and that will help you to grow and to serve in a
way that is meaningful and impactful for you. I love having the opportunity to
learn about different students’ interests, as well as the chance to share about
my own experience of service and of working for Amate House, so please don’t be
afraid to come and chat with me at a fair even if you’re not certain yet about
applying to our program!
Ask all the questions
you’d like. The whole point of speaking with a recruiter is to learn more
about the program he or she represents. I welcome any questions, from the basics
about logistics such as the size of the program or the types of site placement
opportunities to the subjective and thought-provoking inquiries (my recent
favorite was: what do you think is the hardest thing about living in
intentional community?). I want to be as helpful and informative as possible,
and it helps me if I know what you are most curious or concerned about. Don’t
be shy about gathering as much information as you need or want – it’s an
important part of the discernment process!
Stay in touch. It’s
natural to come up with new and different questions as you continue to discern
a year of service and begin the application process. Don’t hesitate to reach
out by phone or email to get more information – it helps me know that you are
genuinely interested in the program, and allows you to make the most informed
decisions possible.
As I look forward to my final rounds of recruiting this
fall, I am eager to continue connecting with young adults in the exciting stage
of considering the commitment to a year of volunteer service, and to prepare
for the next great Amate House adventure: Application Season! (In fact, our
application has already gone live and is available on our website. The priority
deadline is January 15th!)
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