Like many young adults who graduate college, Alexis Aupperlee was unsure of what the future would hold. “It seems like I completed my degree with more questions than answers,” Alexis said about her post-collegiate plans.
Alexis started at an entry-level job, but felt like something was missing. “I had a longing for something meaningful, and it was going unanswered,” Alexis recounted.
Mission Program Helps Young Adults Find Purpose Serving Florida Communities
Through relationships in her faith community, Alexis came to learn about the Young Adult Missional Movement. Described as a yearlong mission program, YAMM serves as a platform for young adults to explore different work experiences in churches or nonprofits in Florida.
“It is a year of cross-cultural experiences, community living, and self discovery,” Alexis said.
Heidi Aspinwall, Director of Young Adult Missional Movement said, “In the midst of it all, the program brings theological reflection, cooperative living and intentional community engagement to round out a full experience.”
With eight host sites throughout Florida, the program includes furnished housing, allowance for groceries and transportation, health insurance, a personal stipend, and the potential to defer student loans.
But Alexis doesn’t mention these perks. Instead, she boasts about her new position. “I have a job with immense meaning in working with Habitat for Humanity of Collier County in Immokalee, Florida,” Alexis said, her eyes lighting up with having escaped the monotony of unfulfilling work. “Now I wake up and help deserving families obtain safe and affordable housing.”
Aspinwall sees the program as helpful to both communities and YAMM participants. “Our program expands the capacity of social services and ministries like Habitat,” Heidi said, “but it also provides serious experience and career-launching potential for the next generation of leaders.”
For those finishing school who are unsure of where they’ll live or what they’re going to do in life, Alexis has some advice: “I urge you to look into the Young Adult Missional Movement. It might just hold all the answers you’re looking for.”
