Serving Stories – Serve the City International

Loneliness is one of the top mental health issues in cities—one touching people of all ages and backgrounds. Serve the City Maastricht, responding to their city's crisis of loneliness with hope, has introduced the Noah Friendship Platform. The team matches individuals with potential friends based on common interest and personalities, and host events where new connections are the goal. Whether you cherish a love for cats or an interest in sword fighting, there is hope for a friend to share it!

Who doesn't hope to be seen for their talents rather than their limitations? When four teenage girls from Amsterdam embark on a voyage of volunteering, they overcome the perceptions of themselves as "learning-disabled" and demonstrate abilities that inspire hope in all of us. And when a group of physically-disabled people in Kosovo step up to lead volunteer projects, we see that those we often perceive as beneficiaries have enormous potential to inspire others as they contribute to their community.

There's a line in every city that separates... and in Mitrovica, Kosovo, that line is a bridge. Serbs stay on one side and ethnic Albanians on the other—unless they just happen to be volunteering together with Serve the City, crossing the line with love.

Volunteers at a Big Volunteer Weekend in Mitrovica tell us about what loving across the line means for them. And they also put it into action by crossing the line into the Roma community, building relationships for good with a widely marginalized people group. Love knows no boundaries!

A Big Volunteer Day gives the chance to spread love around a city! Every month, Serve the City Peninsula volunteers further multiple projects in a disadvantaged community in Newport News, VA, in the USA.

As we accompany them on projects ranging from Bingo with the elderly, to Valentines for families facing hardship, to building a greenhouse for an urban farm, we discover how persistent love builds trust and community between people of every age, race and background.

The two most multicultural cities in the world are Brussels and Dubai (Belgium, UAE). People move there dreaming of opportunity... but what happens if opportunities fail to materialize, or when it is time to go back? Meet Marie and Karen, two ladies who help other women find the courage to dream new dreams in these cities... and also one more who has succeeded in making her dream come true.

Marie Bennett relates how a Serve the City partnership in Brussels helps migrant women vulnerable to exploitation find courage to envision a new future in employment through volunteer experience. And Karen Ramirez Marine describes how Serve the City Emirates partners with the Sri Lankan Consulate to upskill women returning to their country after serving as guest workers in Dubai. You will be inspired by their courage... and that of the women they work with.

Violence in Haiti has again become world news. And in the midst of chaos, the Serve the City Haiti team continues to serve with courage, addressing the roots of the crisis.

In this Serving Stories episode, we explore how Serve the City Haiti volunteers have been trying to address the root causes of this crisis, working on the very issues that have fed the rise of gang rule. We hear about projects with enslaved and abandoned children, as well with as single mothers living in poverty. The fight for their country's future is ongoing—but their perseverance in courage is inspiring.

Bonus episode! Ever wondered about the people behind the list of names as the end of our podcast? Our Serving Stories production team introduce themselves, and discuss their own experience of serving the city, as well as their favorite episodes!

Cead mile failte: an Irish phrase that means "a hundred thousand welcomes." That is what Lucy Alexia Dube wants to offer new migrant parents coming to Ireland. Having been a refugee herself, she compassionately supports them in the midst of cultural transition—and sometimes prejudice—through STC Ireland's Cairdeas (Friendship) program. Come meet a lady numbered among the "Top 50 People to Watch in 2024" by the Irish Times.

Let's combat compassion fatigue! On the 2nd anniversary of the Ukraine war, Nikita and Artur, two refugees in Krakow, recount their stories—and how kindness became contagious for them.

Safi Ebrahim and Peter DeWitt, of Serve the City Paris, lay out for us how compassion can change the trajectory of the life of an immigrant. And Safi should know, as he himself came to Paris as a refugee from Afghanistan! He shares his journey of finding first the means of communication, and then a door to community, as he encountered Serve the City volunteers and became one himself. Be inspired by the stories these two remarkable people helpers as they recount the changes in people's lives, nourished through kindness.