You’re nearing the end of college, or perhaps you’ve already worked for a few years, and you’re trying to decide what to do next. Continue your studies? Find a job? How about spend a year in India? The YAV Program in India is part of Young Adult Program run by the Presbyterian Church (USA). Each year, the PCUSA sends approximately 30 volunteers to live for a year in countries around the world. India has been a site since 1998.
India is a land of diversity. Each of its 18 states has its own language and cultural history. There are approximately 20 major languages with their own literature, but there are over a thousand dialects. Most religions are present in India, including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and various forms of Animism. Judaism is also slightly present. A unique and rich form of Christianity has a long history in India, stretching back to the arrival of the apostle St. Thomas in 52 AD. Western forms of Christianity are also present as a result of missionaries from Europe and America.
India is also a land of inequalities and economic disparities. Female feticide and infanticide are serious problems. Vestiges of a strict and overbearing caste system still survive. Some people live in lavish compounds and own all of the latest technology; many others live under tarps and lack access to enough food or water. As India’s leaders guide the country on a forced march as mandated by international institutions to achieve “stability,” “progress,” and “development,” many poor farmers and laborers are finding themselves even more marginalized. Their water is drying up; their land is being taken away; their jobs are being replaced with machines.
As a Young Adult Volunteer, you will be challenged to find a home among this diversity and disparity. Each volunteer will live, serve, and grow within a community. A variety of placements are possible, and many different skills can be useful. The most important gift a YAV can bring is a caring presence that will challenge current ideas, build up a new solidarity, and truly embody the love of God.
Right now, all of the possible sites are in South India; most of them are in the State of Kerala. Kerala is renowned for its achievements in human development, such as literacy rates, access to health facilities, and low birth rates.
Please browse through the other sections of this site for more information about the program in India. For more information about the YAV program in general, visit the Presbyterian Church (USA) Young Adult Volunteer Program website.
Theology
The Young Adult Volunteer South India program emphasizes the value of exposure and interaction with the Other for both the intern and the community in which they serve. In the Bible, God comes to us as the Other, a stranger, and the image of welcoming a stranger is a powerful theme. Truly, solidarity with the Stranger becomes the Kingdom of God.
The program strives to promote the Church as a place where different identities are expressed, and where diversities are affirmed, accepted, and celebrated. Even with this inclusive vision, the program also recognizes the current inequalities in the world. The program believes that Gospel is about the redirection of power relations in the world, and the presence of the Y.A.V.’s must challenge the current power equation.
It is only with a sense of metanoia, recognizing our part in the unequal relations that this program can be truly transforming. It is in this spirit that God works to transform us, our relationships, and our world.
Program Coordinator
The site coordinator, Rev. Thomas John, is a minister in the Church of South India. Until March, 2003, he also served as Head of the Department of Psychology at Union Christian College. He has wide cross-cultural experience and many years of experience in working with young people. He studied at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary for his Master of Divinity during 1976-1979. He also served as the General Secretary of the Student Christian Movement of India from 1990-1994. Subsequently, he served the Presbyterian Church (USA) as Mission Partner in Residence in the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, Kentucky in 1994-1995. In addition to coordinating the YAV program in India, he also currently serves as the Head Pastor of the Trinity Church in Aluva, Kerala and serves as the liaison in India for the Presbyterian Hunger Program.
Rev. Thomas John is a committed ecumenist and is passionate about addressing such social issues as ecology, development, and the concerns of the most vulnerable sections of society. He is also committed to facilitating international linkages to address some of the global issues that emanate from new economic trends.
His wife Betty, a former teacher of natural sciences, has shared all of these experiences, and they have been together in all of these sojourns. She is a gracious host, warm person, and acts as a surrogate mother for all YAV’s. She has a magic touch with food, and can sometimes be persuaded to teach a few of her secrets. They have two children. The elder, Reeba, is married to Subash, and lives in Bahrain. Their first child, Alisha, was born in June, 2002. The younger, John, aka Binu, is studying for his M. Phil. in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.
Education
Education about the realities of life in India is a key component of the year of service. Volunteers learn a great deal simply by reflecting on their daily interactions with their communities. Some formal educational components of the program include:
- Lectures on Social Economic History and realities
- Exposure to the realities of Tribals, Dalits, Fishworkers etc.
- Reading assignments
- Participation in Educational Seminars and Conferences.
- Monthly Bible studies and reflection sessions
- Tour of India (A one-month visit of other parts of India on your own or as a group. Financial support is provided from the program budget)
- Visit to Sri Lanka (A visit to Sri Lanka for visa renewal)
