Revisiting Our Founder’s Vision

As Hope Builders celebrates 30 years of transforming lives, we take this milestone as an opportunity to revisit the guiding principles set forth by our founder, Sister Eileen McNerney. These words, passed onto us at her retirement in 2008, remind us why we first opened our doors in 1995: to meet young people where they are, believe in their potential, and help them build pathways to prosperity. These values continue to inspire our work, shaping how we serve, grow, and lead into the next chapter of Hope Builders’ story.

Operating Instructions from Sister Eileen

Walking wounded young people out of poverty is a most worthy and complex mission, but it is not easy. It takes a team of people with a variety of skills who care very deeply about giving hope and life to others. While there are many successes, there can also be disappointments. Because there are daily challenges, it is good to have some guides to rely on.

Here are some that I have learned along the way:

1) Follow the rule of altruistic love – to love others with no expectation of love or kindness in return.
Many of our young people have been in circumstances where they have been treated poorly. They may not have had loving parents present to them. They may have experienced failure in school and been treated as a number in the penal system.
Love: 1) takes others seriously 2) treats them as if they matter 3) calls them by name 4) learns their stories 5) is honest, providing accurate feedback 6) is challenging and firm when needed.

2) When you have to turn someone away, do it in the kindest manner possible. Even if the individual may feel disappointment and failure, try to leave them standing tall. Whatever the reason that they cannot continue the program (drugs, frequent absences, poor performance, poor behavior), help the individual to understand that you believe in their potential, but that this is not the right time for them to be here. If there might be an open door to them in the future, let them know this. If this is a terminal conversation, invite them to keep in touch and let you know how they are doing.

3) View yourself and all staff members as a strong and important team and treat each other with great respect. Delivering the mission day-after-day depends on good working relationships and mutuality. Every person on the staff has unique and critical gifts to bring to the mission. Whether or not you fully appreciate the other, try to look for the “gold” that is within them. Try not to focus on the flaws of the other or to highlight another’s flaws to a fellow staff member. If you have had hard words with each other, spoken harshly, or seen others suffer because you’ve had a crabby day, ask for the grace to apologize and to clear the slate. Be generous in giving to each other; rely on each other.

4) Young people vote with their feet. Our students will succeed at Taller San Jose Hope Builders (unless they’re strangled by drugs) if they feel loved, valued, are making friends and are challenged by learning. If Hope Builders has increasing attrition rates, don’t blame the students; look to the program and the support system and how we deliver it. It’s their job to come; it’s our job to make the program work for them.

5) Keep growing. Hope Builders has a history of continuous improvement. That simply means that we are never complacent; never see ourselves as a finished, perfect program. Keep finding new ways to help young people out of poverty. Poverty is crushing; it will take all your ingenuity to fight it.

6) Be gentle with yourself. When you’ve had a bad day or feel that you’ve messed up, forgive yourself. Give yourself space. No one is the sum total of his/her worst day. Get up, dust yourself off and stay focused on the mission.

7) Don’t work harder at rescuing, than the person you are trying to rescue. Given the best love, care and resources possible, if a young person is not using his or her own energy to climb out of a hole, stop tugging and pulling. You’ll wear yourself out and you won’t have achieved anything. Over-worrying and over-working for the sake of another doesn’t work and will lead to your burnout.

8) Take breaks and have fun! You spend more of your waking time at work than you do at home so use your vacation time and days-off well. Strengthen your body and soul. Have a life outside of Hope Builders that nourishes you. Spread some light. Be playful. Your work life at Hope Builders can be challenging. Remember to have fun!

9) Understand that ultimately God is in charge – of outcomes, of people, of money, of relationships … of EVERYTHING! In choosing to work at Hope Builders, you have not chosen an easy path; it can be a rough, high road, but it is worth the climb. Believe that God cares very much about you and about the young people that you walk with in His name. Trust God to guide you on the path. Don’t try to go it alone.