We are so excited to announce a new addition to the Words Alive team: our new Young Adult Program Manager, Jenn Belgarde!
Read on to learn more about Jenn and her drive to join the Words Alive team!
Jenn Belgarde began her professional journey as a tutor for under-served youth in Los Angeles. She grew up in a community where there was a severe economic and cultural divide in the education system. Seeing the inequities first-hand led her to fully invest in leveling the playing field for all young people, ensuring everyone has a chance to succeed. She became the Assistant Director to the founder at The Study Institute, the same program where she first tutored. There, Jenn developed and implemented educational and recreational activities to prepare students for life-long study skills and improve their standardized test scores.
Jenn’s passion for service resulted in her attaining a degree in Program in Leadership and Community Service from Mercer University. While at Mercer, Jenn had the opportunity to do mission work in Haiti, where she provided supportive guidance to earthquake victims and hosted several book and resource drives for Haitian children. Subsequently, Jenn co-founded the Belgarde Mission House, a non-profit community resource organization that helps Haitian residents re-build their communities from the ground up. Her organization gives children, many who are orphaned, opportunities to continue learning after they finish school, which in Haiti is usually around middle school. Many of these children have been able to attend college and trade schools and some have found success in the United States. Jenn has witnessed how literacy can change lives and give voice to the voiceless. At Words Alive, she hopes that through her work in the San Diego community, she can continue to empower youth and young adults through reading.
And now, a few words from Jenn!
What intrigued you about Words Alive? Why did you want to join the team?
My passion has always been to ensure that young people get equitable opportunities in this life no matter where they come from. When I first learned about Words Alive, it was very clear to me that I found an organization whose missions and values align with my own. There are so many families with limited exposure to a world beyond their experience. Words Alive boldly addresses social disparities in the education system and provides relevant books, resources, and a community of people that meet youth where they are. It took me a very short time to know that I wanted to serve on this team.
What are you most excited about in your new position?
I am most excited about liaising with our community partners, school administrators, teachers, and volunteers. In my experience, students and young adults tend to thrive in environments where they are fully surrounded and supported by a diverse group of caring adults. The idea that I can play just a small role in serving as a conduit to connect all the key people that empower our students and enhance their lives, brings me so much joy!
What is your relationship with literacy and learning?
I faced many health challenges in my adolescent years, which led to me to learn independently and in an unorthodox school setting. There were sometimes entire months I would have to take off from school and I was still responsible for maintaining excellent grades. For me, reading was my source of comfort during times of stress and anxiety, my teacher when I could not learn from the adults in my life, and an opportunity for me to discover my voice in a very loud world. Reading and journaling allowed me to create opportunities for myself in an environment where innovation and alternative thinking was frowned upon. Though I have not been through many of the circumstances Words Alive students endure daily, I can honestly speak to the major impact reading and writing has had and still has on my life.
What are you currently reading?
I am a lover of all things science- fiction and fantasy, but I am currently delving into books that promote healing in mind, body, and spirit. The main book I am reading is Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business) by Tabitha Brown. I will also begin reading The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou.