BRATTLEBORO-The Brattleboro Area Interfaith Youth Group says its spring service trip for 2026 will be to Charleston, South Carolina, from April 18 to 25.
Charleston is one of the oldest cities in the South, and the city where the Civil War began. During Brattleboro Union High School’s spring break, the group will be exposed to the area’s rich history and current situation, according to Brian Remer, one of the youth group’s organizers.
“From slavery to today’s racial-economic disparity, youth group members will look at common threads, serve the community’s needs as volunteers, and reflect on how most, if not all, religions call for justice and equality for all,” Remer said in a news release.
In Charleston, these 16 young people and five adults from the Greater Brattleboro area — representing Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faith communities — will assist local nonprofits with projects addressing food insecurity, sea mammal rescue, poverty, and homelessness.
They will be hosted by the nonprofit Youth Mission Co., stay in simple accommodations in the Park Circle area of Charleston, and contribute hands-on service.
Remer explained that the Brattleboro Interfaith Youth Group builds a multicultural community through friendships, fun, and service. It is composed of local young people, over half of whom are either recently resettled refugees from Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo or exchange students from Zanzibar, Germany, Argentina, and Thailand.
“All are interested in sharing their cultures, providing peer support, and learning about each other while doing community service each month,” Remer stated.
Church affiliation or attendance is not expected, though numerous religious organizations in Windham County support the effort by hosting the group on a rotating basis and ensuring that all can participate, regardless of their spiritual affiliation or their ability to pay.
“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 Remer, describing the group’s evolution into a dynamic multicultural club for teens who are interested in sharing their cultures and learning about each other.
In the past decade, youth performed community service in places as diverse as Ashville, North Carolina; New Orleans; Kenya; St. Croix; El Salvador; and the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. To ensure wide participation, the group conducts fundraisers leading up to each trip.
“Between now and their departure, the group will be making presentations to community businesses and churches about the reasons for their trip, holding fundraisers (the next one is a Chili Supper on Saturday, Jan. 31, at West Brattleboro’s First Congregational Church). They’ll also prepare for their trip by learning more of the backstory of the region while getting to know one another better,” explained Remer.
For more information about the youth group, or to donate to the trip, email Nanci.leitch@gmail.com or text or call 802-258-8348.
This Town and Village item was submitted to The Commons.