The Border Fellows program, a ministry of St. Clement’s Church, Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach, and La Frontera Youth Ministry Education, is a 10-month work and service leadership development program on the U.S.–Mexico border. It is part of a larger community of fellows programs across the United States called The Fellows Initiative. A Gift for Creating Community For the last two years, incoming Border Fellows Director, Jennifer Shinn, and her husband have been hosting a weekly Sunday night dinner for a group of young adults they fondly refer to as “displaced twentysomethings.” The group is … [Read more...]
A Heart for Refugees Leads a Young Woman From Virginia to El Paso
The road to El Paso Shortly before she graduated from college, Keisha Branch, High School Coordinator and Border Fellows Assistant for Ciudad Nueva, made a decision that would have a lasting effect on her faith and her career: She chose to complete her internship at a refugee center. “I fell in love with the work and wanted to continue working with refugees, asylum-seekers, and other people who are marginalized,” Keisha says. “I grew up in poverty and as a person of color, so I have been marginalized myself.” After graduation, Keisha decided to apply to the Border Fellows program at Ciudad … [Read more...]