An old Iroquois proverb asks people to consider how their actions today will affect the world seven generations later.
That query serves as the inspiration — and the name — for a pre-orientation program at the College of William & Mary that sends incoming freshmen out into the community to make long-lasting good.
The program started four years ago at the school as a way to introduce new members of the Tribe to Williamsburg outside the bubble of campus life. Through a week of hands-on activities and reflection on social issues facing the area that wrapped up Saturday, they become acclimated with the community – both how it stands now and where they can build from here.
Elizabeth Miller, the program’s coordinator out of William & Mary’s Office of Community Engagement, said many incoming students have experience with volunteering from high school, but 7 Generations can connect them with introduce them to specific opportunities near their new academic home.
That was true for Erin Hegarty, who chose to attend William & Mary in part because of its emphasis on service locally and internationally.
She chose the 7 Generations subgroup that considers access to housing — the other two focus on food systems and animals — unsure what affordable living meant in Williamsburg. She knew it would be a contrast to her Long Island home, but was surprised to see aspects of the community not featured in a guidebook.
Now she has been speaking with group leaders about how to stay involved after the program is over in some capacity, whether it is painting houses or tutoring at-risk children.
Gennie Duncan also brought a background in service to 7 Generations three years ago. She participated as a freshman for what she said was an eye-opening experience that set the tone for the rest of her college career.
In a division dealing with housing, 7 Generations changed her perception of Williamsburg as an idyllic town with colonial architecture behind white picket fences.
“It acts as an opportunity for disillusionment,” Duncan said about the project, allowing students who might not otherwise be aware of the plight of the underprivileged locally.
Duncan is one of many 7 Generations alumni who have kept involved with the Office of Community Engagement. She has served as a student leader for the program this year and last, has just returned from a monthlong program focused on social entrepreneurship in the Dominican Republic and is interested in joining the Peace Corps after graduation.
If it were not for 7 Generations, she said she never would have found such a fruitful path of service.
“I don’t just want to volunteer,” Duncan said. “I want to solve those deeper issues.”
While the 21 students participating this year might be building fences or cleaning puppy cages by day, each group comes together in the evening for thoughtful discussion.
Hegarty smiles recalling the quality time at the end of an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday, where new friends joked around but also debated the causes for housing struggles in the area.
Duncan said those times allow students to consider the broader implications of their actions, hitting on “the why” behind the issues that span more than a week.
“It made me start asking those questions that are essential,” Duncan said. “It adds another dimension to service that previously wasn’t there.”
Along the way, friendships develop from shared values and, over the course of the week, communal experiences.
Maralee Bell applied for the 7 Generations on a whim, hoping it would be a good way to meet people before moving into her freshmen dorm in a few weeks.
“It was so cool to almost instantly have a connection with these guys,” she said of her teammates in the Animals in Community group.
For Miller, 7 Generations is a way to empower incoming freshmen.
“Through this week, they have built a family,” she said.
Not only have they formed fast friendships, but treks through campus have diminished the daunting nature of the first day of school. Moving beyond the world of William & Mary, Miller said 7 Generations empowers students to make a difference in the greater Williamsburg community, a jumping-off point she hopes will stay with them through college and life.
