When conducting an internet search for the organization Project SHINE, various universities and colleges flood the search results. This initiative has swept across the country, picking up more volunteers along the way, particularly college students who are joining the movement for change. Project SHINE was spawned from the Intergenerational Center at Temple University in 1985, and has continued to secure opportunities for civic engagement. Since 1997, SHINE has joined forces with 31 colleges and universities, over two hundred ethnic community programs, and sixteen cities. With the goal of integrating immigrants and refugees into American society, Project SHINE is connecting people and communities, while eliminating isolation. The following ambitious goals are listed on the Project SHINE website:
- Promote intercultural and intergenerational understanding within diverse communities
- Improve the ability of older immigrants to access healthcare, exercise their rights, and perform their responsibilities as family and
community members - Increase the academic knowledge, personal growth and civic engagement of college students
- Enhance the ability of faculty members to create stronger links between community service and academic coursework
- Build the capacity of community colleges and universities to develop sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships with immigrant
communities
SHINE stands for Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders. Originally created to support elderly refugees, SHINE now aids refugees and immigrants ages seventeen and older. Volunteers offer their services ranging from tutoring English to guidance through the stresses of cultural integration. The refugees and immigrants immediately feel a sense of comfort and community in the midst of their new anxieties. The knowledge they gain over time fosters significant change. The volunteers also transform through this process as they are able to apply service learning to real life situations. They have noted growth in their own academia, as well as lessons in humility, compassion, and patience. Here is a clip highlighting the work of students from Emory University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxnFNpzfMuI
Project SHINE partnered with AmeriCorps in 2009 to further promote health literacy through tutoring, workshops, and recreational activities. AmeriCorps members volunteers up to ten hours per week in addition to attending monthly training. Elders learned valuable skills such as how to make a doctor’s appointment and valuable questions to ask a health professional.
Project SHINE’s resources tab offers a plethora of valuable documents for refugee and immigrant elders, as well as volunteers. One text titled Growing Older in a New Land, provides nights and information on healthy aging in immigrant and refugee families. The Citizenship Dialogue guides one through various common questions that are necessary for naturalization into United States citizenship.
Keep up with how SHINE members are creating reality for healthy integration by following their stories. If you’ve been inspired to volunteer for this fantastic project or to open the door for you, your students or your family— the opportunity awaits.