Summerbridge

• Summerbridge is a young adult leadership development program.
• Summerbridge accepts participants who prioritize community participation and community building.
• Summerbridge prioritizes service opportunities as they relate to peace, social justice and community development.
• Summerbridge fosters a servanthood lifestyle during service with MCC and afterwards.
• Summerbridge affirms mentoring from church leadership through program supervision.

• MCC prioritizes providing support for affiliated Anabaptist churches or Christian faith-based organizations through the Summerbridge program.
• Summerbridge requires participants to be active participants of a Christian community. 
• Summerbridge partners and participants must show a commitment to peacemaking and nonviolence.
• Summerbridge participants are required to be between 18 (19 in BC) to 30 years*.
• Summerbridge seeks to include participants from a variety of cultural backgrounds.
• Summerbridge participants can participate in the program for up to 2 years.
• MCC seeks Summerbridge applications that encourage strengthened leadership capabilities while engaging with the church or the broader community.
• Summerbridge is an 8-12 week program run in the summer months (May-September).
• Summerbridge participants must work 35 hours per week.
• Churches or faith-based organizations should identify and interview young adult candidates who exhibit a willingness to learn, grow, and lead. 

*Any exceptions will need to be approved by the respective MCC Provincial Coordinator and MCC Canada National Coordinator. 

MCC requires the church or faith-based organization to provide a supervisor for the Summerbridge participants to walk alongside them during their time of service. 

Participants and their supervisor meet to fill out a short report (every two weeks) about the progress and challenges for the participant.  This report is sent to your provincial/regional MCC coordinator every two weeks.  At the end of the term the supervisor will fill out a final report about the congregations’ experience and the participant will fill out a final evaluation to send to the same coordinator.  

MCC will connect with the supervisor and Summerbridge participant throughout the summer assignment. 

The Summerbridge term includes a local orientation and a 4-day MCC conference held in June. 

The conference will provide information and workshops about Mennonite Central Committee, community development, and leadership skills. 

Biblical perspectives will be offered to motivate and encourage the Summerbridge participants in their assignments.

All first-time participants are required to attend this conference and orientation. Second-time participants in the Summerbridge program will not attend the MCC conference. All orientation, conference, and travel costs are covered by MCC. These events are included as part of the worker’s 8–12-week assignment.

Summerbridge participants will receive minimum wage for each week (35 hours) that they participate in the program. The costs to run this program are shared by three partners (provincial/regional MCC, MCC Canada, and the sponsoring church or faith-based organization). 

The church or faith-based organization has responsibility to pay the Summerbridge participant every two weeks via the church payroll.  In addition to paying minimum wage, it is expected that the mandatory benefits plus WorkSafe coverage will be included.  MCC Canada and the provincial MCC will reimburse the church/organization on 2/3 cost arrangement throughout the summer months.

The rights of children (i.e., minors based on provincial legislation) are upheld, and the abuse, sexual exploitation, and harassment of all project participants and staff are prevented. 

MCC expects all partners to have policies and procedures regarding the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment and regarding child safeguarding (for those working with children). If no policies and procedures are in place, the partner organization will work with MCC to develop policies and procedures that align with MCC’s policy within the first two years of the project. 

Any allegation of child abuse or sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment of project participants will be reported immediately to MCC. (For more detailed information see Appendix 1).