GUILFORD-Young people ages 13–18 in the greater Brattleboro area are invited to attend an information session on joining a multicultural interfaith youth group.
The meeting will be from noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Pavilion at Guilford Community Park. The youth group typically meets at that time once a month, on the first Sunday, culminating in a week-long service trip in the spring of 2026.
According to organizers, the purpose of this group is "to build a multicultural community through friendships, fun and service - making a difference." Church affiliation or attendance is not expected, although numerous religious organizations in Windham County support the effort by hosting the group on a rotating basis and by ensuring all can participate, regardless of their spiritual affiliation or their ability to pay or fundraise.
"The youth group benefits equally from the perspectives of young people who are newcomers to this culture and from the experience of youth who have grown up here," explained Brian Remer, one of the group's facilitators. Remer describes the group's evolution into a dynamic multicultural club for teens who are interested in sharing their cultures and learning about each other.
Each gathering typically features a short community service project for which the youth receive credits toward the 40 community service hours required for BUHS graduation, and if there is both interest and commitment, the group can travel to more distant service sites in the U.S. and abroad, building leadership skills and social justice.
In the past decade, youth performed community service in places as diverse as New Orleans, Kenya, St. Croix, El Salvador, and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Last spring, a group of 18 including leaders performed hurricane relief and worked with the homeless in Asheville, North Carolina. To ensure wide participation, the group conducts fundraisers leading up to each trip.
For more information, contact Nanci Leitch at 802-258-8348 or [email protected].
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.