Volunteering as Joyful Practice and Radical Resistance

On May 3, 2026, an eager group of Grebel students and staff piled into a 12-passenger van at the Saskatoon airport and set off on a 6-hour drive to Denare Beach, Saskatchewan. We were embarking on a volunteer service trip to help rebuild homes with Mennonite Disaster Service after wildfires destroyed 200 homes in the northern village the previous summer. I was lucky enough to be on my second Grebel MDS trip, my first being in February 2025 to Amory, Mississippi.

Sitting in the van, I was hit with déjà vu. Just last year, I had similarly been squished into the middle seat, excitedly chatting with my fellow volunteers, relishing our collective anticipation for the people and projects awaiting our arrival. Yet at the same time, I couldn’t help but ask myself: will this trip be at all like the previous one?

I quickly came to realize that the mysterious, magical sense of community that formed on my last trip was no coincidence, but rather a hallmark of both MDS and Grebel’s approaches to collaboration. Upon arrival at the Denareplex community centre, we were greeted by the long-term MDS volunteers with warmth and curiosity, and I marvelled at how easily conversation danced around tables. On the job site, our project leaders were unwaveringly patient as many of us learned how to build wooden forms, assist in pouring concrete, and even install sewer and water lines.

Volunteering with MDS has shown me the vitality of collective action in the aftermath of destruction. In a global and political climate that can feel increasingly suffocating, being involved in small-scale acts of dedication to each other and the land gives me a sense of hope. Through these experiences, I am reminded of what author and abolitionist adrienne maree brown speaks to in her book Emergent Strategies (2017): that what we practice on a communal level creates patterns that can influence entire systems.

Within the Grebel community, I think it is important to recognize that our connection, cooperation, and empathy for one another does not stop at our doors, but extends far wider. Volunteering with MDS has allowed me and so many other Grebel students to see how offering a helping hand and a seat at the table can be both a joyful practice and a radical form of resistance.