Building Community, Near and Far

By: Jessica Hardiman

Before boarding a plane, receiving a passport stamp, or stepping into a new culture, RootEd Global students spent the year actively engaging in meaningful service within their own communities.

As part of their program, students were asked to complete local service hours before traveling abroad. This year, students collectively contributed an impressive 962 hours of service across Utah through environmental initiatives, fundraising efforts, community events, moving assistance, mental health advocacy, and countless other acts of kindness.

While the locations and projects varied, a common lesson emerged: meaningful change often begins close to home.

For Utah State University student Luke, local service involved supporting fundraising events and campus initiatives that brought people together around causes they cared about. One experience stood out as he watched different student organizations unite in support of their communities.

"I met many people who deeply care about their causes but also are making such a difference in the communities that they are a part of," he shared. "People were meeting new friends and supporting causes that were making real impact."

As Luke prepares to travel to Colombia this summer, he sees a direct connection between those experiences and the community-led peacebuilding efforts he hopes to learn about abroad.

"I feel like community-led initiatives are very important when it comes to grassroots peacebuilding," he said. "I'm excited to see how peacebuilding can come from community-led events and initiatives and how that can help impact the healing process within communities."

For Cambodia participant Eliza, local service centered on environmental stewardship and community engagement. As an Environmental Studies major at Utah State University, she worked alongside local leaders on planting projects and participated in discussion panels focused on climate challenges facing Utah.

Those experiences became especially meaningful when she later traveled to Cambodia and observed local organizations addressing challenges related to water access and sustainability.

"Working with my community at home prepared me for communicating with people about their problems in new places," she reflected. "I think it's so important that we look around us for those who need help and understand local struggle before we look outward and work on the bigger problems abroad. Ask your neighbor what's up first."

That mindset (understanding local needs before attempting to solve global challenges) lies at the heart of Youthlinc's mission to create lifetime humanitarians.

For Peru participant Matti, local service took the form of listening. Through her Mental Health Advocacy and Awareness studies, she volunteered as a professional listener, offering support to individuals navigating mental health challenges.

One conversation in particular stayed with her. While volunteering, she connected with a woman from India who was struggling with issues related to women's rights.

"I didn't know her, but I felt like I really connected with her, and I think we helped each other," Matti shared. "It's sad how people struggle with similar issues everywhere in the world."

The experience broadened her perspective long before she boarded a plane for Peru. When she later found herself teaching mental health lessons to children in the Amazonian village of Palmeras, she drew upon many of the conversations she had experienced through her local service.

"I took the things I learned from other people during my listening experience and used it during my presentation," she said. "It felt like a full-circle moment."

For Matti, local service became more than preparation for an international program. It revealed how deeply connected people can be across cultures and continents, often facing similar struggles and seeking the same understanding and support.

For Errol, who will travel to Mongolia later this summer, service looked different. Many of his hours were spent helping individuals and families move.

One experience involved assisting a single mother and her daughter as they relocated to a more affordable apartment.

"She was really grateful for the help because it's hard for a single mom and her 10-year-old to move furniture all alone," he said.

The experience prompted him to think about the nomadic families he will soon encounter in Mongolia, where moving is often part of everyday life.

"I find that I have a greater respect for those people who are constantly on the move," he shared.

Though each student's service project was unique, their experiences reveal an important truth: community engagement is not defined by geography. It begins with paying attention to the people around us, getting connected, and choosing to give others our time.

As RootEd Global students serve, learn, and build relationships in communities around the world, they do so with nearly one thousand hours of service already behind them. The lessons they gained through local service remind us that global citizenship is built one community, one relationship, and one act of service at a time.