"Where Are They Now? Past Summer Interns" is a blog series that aims to highlight the incredible young people that spend their summers interning with Be The Neighbor. The same way that our trips aim to equip participants with the new skills and connections to live lives of love, service, and justice when they go home, our hope is that are interns are inspired to do the same! They come to us with a passion and we want them to spend their summer learning how they can use the skills and commitment to justice that they already have to continue their work towards a more just world.
Meet Fiyori Kidane
Fiyori worked with Connect Ministries during the Summer of 2022, the year before Connect merged with Reach Beyond Mission to become what is now Be The Neighbor.
During her time in Fort Worth, Texas, she worked with a number of groups to lead service-learning trips that are relational, sustainable, and dignity-affirming. The groups' weeks were spent learning about food insecurity and refugee welcome and what they can do in their own communities to address the needs of our neighbors.
Tell us a little bit about your experiences as a member of the Staff. What were your favorite things or the things that stuck with you?
I really enjoyed getting to meet churches from across the country. As a fellow member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), it's always wonderful getting to connect with other Disciples from all over.
Tell us more about what you're doing today either in your work and/or extra curriculars. How did your experience with Be The Neighbor, Reach, or Connect help you to get there or prepare you for the work you're doing?
I serve as the People-to-People Program Coordinator for Global Ministries. Working at Connect Ministries helped me to develop some of my skills for project management and logistics.
What would you say to others who are considering applying?
It's a great opportunity to learn how to teach others about charity and justice work while also putting in hours to serve your community. Both are vital in order to maintain community and being an intern will make you really consider how you show up in your own communities.
To learn more about interning with Be The Neighbor, visit betheneighbor.org/summerstaff.