TheLeader VOLUME XXV ISSUE2 Spring2024 - Flipbook - Page 35
G R A N T S
A T
W O R K
Project Mexico Funded for The Forming Orthodox Christian Evangelists
(The FOrCE) Initiative
Project Mexico was granted $100,000 in 2023 for The
FOrCE (Forming Orthodox Christian Evangelists)
initiative, a collaborative effort between Project Mexico and
Hellenic College Holy Cross (HCHC), offering scholarships
for homebuilding (HB) volunteers and interns. To obtain
such scholarships, each participant must attend a series of
lectures that delve into HCHC’s offerings and its role in
fostering Orthodox spiritual growth in higher education.
This grant is designed to empower young Christians and
prospective Orthodox leaders by offering them the means
to explore higher education options within an Orthodox
framework. It also provides an opportunity for them to
engage in short-term missionary work and to further
nurture their spiritual growth and knowledge by becoming
part of the Hellenic College Holy Cross community.
The FOrCE initiative commenced by hosting live lectures
conducted by six distinguished Hellenic College Holy Cross
(HCHC) graduates, seminarians, and priests. The subjects
covered a wide spectrum, including topics like “Spiritual
Warfare & a True Account of Being a Seminary Student at
HCHC” and “What HCHC Offers: Uniting the Mind and
the Heart through Orthodox Higher Education.” These
enlightening lectures were recorded and made available to
prospective participants interested in the program.
Each scholarship recipient actively engages with the
program by participating in a minimum of two lectures,
subsequently providing insightful responses to essay
questions related to the lecture content. Following this, the
selected participants have the privilege of volunteering their
time for a short-term mission, where they contribute to
building homes for underprivileged families in Rosarito,
Mexico.
Upon successful completion of their mission, participants
will be invited to share their valuable feedback through an
exit survey, offering insights into their program experience.
Additionally, they will have the opportunity to express their
intentions regarding the pursuit of higher education at
HCHC.
According to Project Mexico Executive Director, Fr.
Nicholas Andruchow, the objectives of the initiative are:
1) To have 10% of scholars enroll in HCHC.
• Out of the young adults who benefited from the FOrCE
program 2 are now attending HCHC.
2) To have a participant become an intern for Project
Mexico the following year.
Five FOrCE recipients who have continued to serve with
Project Mexico volunteer as interns following the end of the
summer Homebuilding program. This indicates that their
involvement in Church service has not dissipated but rather
continues to flourish. The 2024 Summer HB intern
participants have not yet been selected, therefore those
analytics are not yet available, although several FOrCE
participants have already indicated their intention to return
and volunteer for the next missionary season.
3) To have scholars become leaders in their own home
parishes.
• Over the next year participants will be closely monitored
for ongoing Church involvement by personal follow-up
correspondence.
The grant will be used to provide 100 scholars with the
opportunity to participate in the Project Mexico
homebuilding short-term mission program. To date,
Project Mexico has collaborated with six highly qualified
speakers to develop comprehensive 45- minute lectures,
and promoted and hosted six live sessions, subsequently
transforming them into webinars. In addition, a dedicated
webpage was established, and graphics produced, including
custom-designed T-shirts for the scholars.
An application process was implemented, resulting in the
successful awarding of 21 scholarships to qualified
individuals who channeled their efforts toward the 2023
summer homebuilding season.
To further gauge the impact on the scholars, The FOrCE
initiative is currently in the process of conducting
mentorship check-ins and preparing to administer an exit
survey, seeking to gain invaluable insights into their
experiences and outcomes.
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