Today at Brown

This month’s edition of Providence City News, an e-mail newsletter distributed by the office of Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline ’83, features an interview with two Brown students who are beginning their fourth year as volunteers at a community-based social services center, the John Hope Settlement House. Located in the city’s West End, John Hope serves the diverse communities of the West End, South Providence, Elmwood, and Olneyville, an area of less than four square miles where more than 45,000 people live.

Organized by the Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown, a 20-year-old mentoring program brings Brown and RISD students to the John Hope facility for weekly one-on-one sessions with local youth. The meetings may involve tutoring, homework help, or just “hanging out” and providing support and friendship.

Eliza Domingo ’99, neighborhood communications coordinator for the mayor’s office, talked with senior engineering concentrators Peter Boyer and Riaz Gillani, who are coordinating the mentoring effort this year. The following remarks adapted from their conversation are reproduced here with permission.

Eliza Domingo: Tell us about the Swearer Center’s partnership with the youth at John Hope Settlement House.

Peter Boyer: The John Hope Mentoring Program is part of the house’s after-school program. Once a week, the Brown or RISD student volunteer goes over to the JHSH. For the college student, it’s an opportunity to see the rest of Providence. The child gets an opportunity to have a connection to Brown. It ends up being valuable for both.

ED: How many mentors do you anticipate you’ll have this year?

Riaz Gillani: We’re shooting for 10 to 15. We strive to have a large group, but at the same time we want to get quality, committed volunteers.

The John Hope Settlement House ED: What attracted you to the program?

RG: When I was in high school, I was a religious education teacher, and that gave me an opportunity to be a mentor. [When I got to Brown], there was no mosque nearby. I had heard about the Swearer Center, and I wanted to get involved in whatever way I could. The John Hope program stood out because it gave me an informal opportunity to have a lasting impact on a child.

PB: I wanted to be able to step out of this [college] environment, which is very insulated. The mentoring program was a way for me to get off the Hill and start interacting with the local community.

ED: Why do you think it’s important to mentor young people in the local communities?

RG: As Brown students, we’re fortunate to have the resources we do. If you're getting an Ivy League education and you keep the knowledge to yourself, that’s not benefiting anyone but you. I come from suburban Virginia, and this is my first real exposure to the inner city. I feel very fortunate to have this two-way exchange.

PB: This is a formative period of our lives, and it’s just as – if not more – formative for the kids in the after-school program. The ability to have a conversation between socioeconomic classes is incredibly valuable. You start to see residents not as just a big group living in a city, but as people. The kids learn that people at Brown can be as approachable as their friends down the street. Both parties gain a lot about the way they see humanity.

ED: What have you learned from your experience?

RG: I've learned that words can have a huge impact. I remember speaking with my mentee about the value of getting homework done and doing well in school to one’s ability to get into college. Now, every time she sees me she tells me how well she’s doing in school. We’re fortunate to be role models, and that’s something we don’t take lightly.

PB: I’ve watched my mentee grow from age 8 to 11. That’s a huge thing for me, because I’ve never seen a child grow by slightly changing due to their experiences every day. It has given me an appreciation for how much you can impact that person just by being there for a relatively short time. You can transfer something positive and show them you care.

ED: What would you say to other college students about volunteering?

RG: It’s not easy convincing busy people that this is what they should or could do with their time. It comes down to harnessing people’s good intentions and combining those with whatever interests they have.

PB: When you’re in a rigorous academic environment like Brown’s, you gain a lot of skills and have the ability to offer some important qualities to younger people. Volunteering gives you a chance to do good work that you can be proud of, rather than just making a buck. During this period of our lives, it’s important to realize that doing good work and taking chances, looking beyond the academic sphere, and reaching out into the community are valuable opportunities.

ED: How has your mentoring experience influenced what you plan to do after graduating?

PB: I have a profound appreciation for what people in an urban environment experience and need on a daily basis. I'm studying structural engineering – how buildings come together, who are the people involved, what are the building’s components – and I am interested in how we can create environments that are more affordable, so that people have access to a healthy workplace or home.

RG: I’m a biomedical engineer. The John Hope experience has shifted my life goals toward a more humanitarian purpose. I see myself going the medical route. Eventually I would like to gear my work toward developing countries or another environment where I could contribute to people’s well-being in a significant way.