CiViL has served thousands of students since 2004. Here’s what some of those students said about CiViL. 

“Talk about things”

• CiViL…pushes you to or talk about things you normally wouldn’t.

“Something very impactful”

• CiViL…makes you feel like you’re accomplishing something very impactful for not just you but for others.

“How nice it feels to help others”

• I’ve grown…by realizing how nice it feels to help others which made me want to help more!

“Thinking…before acting”

• One way I have changed because of CiViL was finding new ways of thinking about what to do before acting on it.

“They think we’re heroes.”

• The words of a young man from a rough public housing project on his first CiViL Service project:  Freed from the stigma of their local reputations, the team poured themselves into helping one community and were praised for their efforts. “They don’t know where we come from,” he said. “They think we’re heroes.” They were. And they gained a sense of how valuable they are. 

“Can you give me a ride to my mom’s funeral?”

• Some of the students in CiViL have little support and few resources to improve their lives. When they do’t know where to turn, they often call on their CiViL mentors for help, stability and guidance.

“Can you teach me how to be a daddy?”

• All students are trying to figure out how to be adults. One young man recognized he had a chance to learn from a CiViL mentor with real life experience. He said, “I’ll tell you the truth, I have fathered a child. Can you teach me how to be a daddy?”  Real questions, answered in a supportive relationship. That’s how CiViL works.