70 volunteers from 11 states made their way to the Mission’s Downeast Campus this summer to make much needed repairs to homes in the area. For more than 20 years, hundreds of volunteers have each spent a week in Cherryfield as part of the Housing Improvement program, helping the community and exploring Downeast Maine.  

“All of the volunteers showed amazing grit, working through rainstorms, extreme heat, and difficult situations” says Housing Improvement Program Director Jennifer Kempthorne. “And they did it all with a cheerful attitude and kindness.” The groups stay on the Mission’s Downeast Campus, and when they find themselves with down time, they explore the local area. Some excursions include visiting the nearby Schoodic Peninsula or Acadia National Park, enjoying a lobster bake, or going to one of the nearby beaches.  Some groups come back and volunteer over multiple years, creating a deep connection with the area, and program, and of course, the Mission.  

This year, the groups also learned more about the Mission’s vast history, and its work both in Downeast Maine and on outer, unbridged islands. Devin Mack, Development Operations Associate, shared more about the Mission’s program areas: island health and outreach, primary and secondary education, scholarships, food security, community engagement, and housing improvement. These program areas all fall under the umbrella of the Social Determinants of Health, which are five non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. This framework has been accepted by the United Nations (UN) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, with the UN writing that the Social Determinants of Health can be more important than access health care or lifestyle choices in a person’s health outcomes. These talks gave volunteers a greater idea of the breath of programming the Mission offers. Devin also shared with volunteers how they could stay engaged with the Mission year-round through things like donations through both the online giving platform and through the Mission’s program and Christmas wish lists. 

Learn more about the Housing Improvement program and its impact.  

Every summer, students in the Journey program go on their core trip. The trip is an opportunity for students to spend time together, learn, and grow. During the summer going into ninth grade, they spend four days on Swan’s Island learning about its history, doing community service projects, and exploring the many scenic beaches. Students on this year’s trip also learned some different skills, including problem solving and adaptability, and they witnessed how community comes together to offer support.  

If there were any emergencies during the night, the staff had access to the parsonage down the road, and there was water left in a few of the coolers. It was decided to see what the next day would bring and reassess it in the morning. With nothing changed by daybreak, staff alerted the church and waited to see if a plumber could visit. However, with core trips often being a highlight of the Journey program and planned out and scheduled ahead of time, staff wanted to find a way to keep students on the trip and started brainstorming other possibilities.  

Within hours, the community jumped into action. While the church tried to locate a plumber, a Mission staff member called Kim Colbeth, a longtime Swan’s resident. For the past few years, Kim has talked to students about island history, and with deep community connections. After she made a few calls, Swan’s Island Church of God opened their doors to students for the next few days. At the same time, a board member of the Baptist church primed the pump for the well and the water was back! 

All of this happened in a few hours. While students had heard about the Swan’s Island community and how they had worked together in the past, but now they saw it in action. Many of them also realized that what had seemed like a big problem at one moment, was only a small inconvenience a few hours later. At the end of each trip, Journey staff asked for students’ reflections, and many saw this time as an important part of the experience, with one writing, “I learned that you have to persevere and get through all the obstacles that are thrown at you.” Another shared, “I learned that not everything has to go exactly how it was planned to have a good trip.”  

These core trips allow students to learn more about themselves, their cohort, and the communities they visit. They push their boundaries, see what they are capable of, and begin to think about their futures. Which is what Journey is all about.   

Learn more about the Journey program and if you are interested in offering support and mentoring to Journey students, the program is accepting mentors.    

For many students participating in Journey, the summer core trips are a highlight of their time in the program. Journey helps students in grades 7 through 12 successfully transition through high school and into higher education and career pathways. Each core trip builds on different skills and ideas students encounter throughout the program. 

Many of the trips include similar themes. For instance, many include a college visit and a chance to learn more about different career opportunities. A few of the outings include volunteer opportunities for students, which helps them give back to the communities they are visiting. There are also times set aside for reflection and journaling. Students keep the same journal throughout the program, and during their senior year, they read through these journals reflecting on their growth and their path through the program.  

The Journey program begins in 7th grade and with students of both Cherryfield Elementary School and Narraguagus Jr./Sr. High School, their core trip during this first summer is when students start to get to know each other at a deeper level. During this time, they work together to complete tasks like cooking and cleaning and work collaboratively. They visit to Mount Desert Island, students camped, volunteered for Acadia National Park and Friends of Acadia, visited College of the Atlantic, met with a police officer who grew up in Downeast Maine, and had fun in Bar Harbor.  

In 8th grade, students got a glimpse of life on one of Maine’s unbridged islands staying on Swan’s Island for 4 days. After taking the ferry over, they met with a local teacher and historian to learn more about what life is like on the island. Students are asked to also start thinking about their transition to high school. They reflect on what they are excited about and what they think are challenges they might face.  

This year’s 9th grade trip got off to a great start. Students visited the Northeast Technical Institute in Bangor and went white water rafting while they camped near Baxter State Park. However, the wet weather put an early end to their outing, and Journey staff are now working to reschedule the rest of the activities for students which included a visit with a logger with a CDL license.  

Earlier in the spring, students in 10th grade took their core trip to Boston. Students take a large role in planning this excursion and they decide what places they would like to visit. This year’s group chose to spend the two days exploring the city, visiting the New England Aquarium, touring the USS Constitution, and eating at Quincy Market.  

The core trip for juniors focuses on college visits with students. While other core trips have college visits, during the last semester of junior year, students start to focus more on plans after high school, including college. These tours give students a low-stakes way of seeing different colleges and see what they are interested in. This year, students got to see both the Gorham and Portland campuses at University of Southern Maine (USM), which is part of the University of Maine system, as well as the University of New England (UNE), a private college in Biddeford.  

Journey seniors spend their time reflecting on their time in the program and prepare for their future, well, journey into adulthood. Students look through the journals they have kept over the past six years, and they read the letter they wrote to themselves in 7th grade after their first core trip. The group also hears from different Mission staff members and mentors about their experiences, education, and how they came to be where they are today. Other activities include working on budgeting and creating plans. The students also write postcards to themselves that will be sent during their first semester.

“Students really leaned into their trip experiences this year, finding peers in their cohorts they don’t normally talk to, being fully present with leaving their phones in their bags and being flexible with trip plans,” says EdGE Secondary and Post-Secondary Program Coordinator Bri West. “I am proud of all the cohorts and what they accomplished on their trips this past program year.”

Each outing allows students to learn more about themselves, their cohort, and the communities they visit. For some of the students, these trips give them their first opportunity to spend time away from home, visit a college campus, go camping, explore a city, or cook a meal. They push their boundaries, see what they are capable of, and begin to think about their futures. Which is what Journey is all about.  

Learn more about the Journey program and if you are interested in offering support and mentoring to Journey students, the program is accepting mentors.