About Washington Quaker Workcamps
- Week-long mission trips in Washington
- Hunger / Homelessness overnight workcamps
- Home repair weekend workcamps
- Weekend volunteer workdays
- Workcamps outside the Washington area
During summer vacation and other school breaks, youth groups from churches, Friends Meetings, and other organizations come to Washington for a week of service and learning. We coordinate a schedule of a variety of service projects, combined with opportunities to learn about issues of social justice, to explore Washington, and to reflect upon these experiences. Each program is designed specifically around the needs and interests of the group, and we can host groups of up to 40 people.
Our projects include helping out with soup kitchens, youth programs, food banks, park cleanup, nursing homes, and community gardens (see our list of partners here). We assist with on-going work in DC communities by partnering with agencies and organizations that work to meet human needs and create a better world. These projects give workcampers a much deeper experience of the Washington, DC communities than that of the usual tourist, and put the museums, monuments and government buildings in their local context.
Throughout the school year, many school, church, and other groups sign up for these weekend or week-night programs. Typically, the group spends one evening together for orientation and preparation for the workcamp, and rises early the next day for a full day of service work. Workcampers help with soup kitchens, food banks, and other programs working to meet human needs. After the workday, the group reunites to share reflections, before departing in the afternoon or evening.
Workcampers assist with the ongoing WQW home repair projects, helping low-income families with basic repairs.
On many weekends without a workcamp scheduled, volunteers help with WQW home repair projects. A $5 donation is requested to cover our expenses.
Each year, we lead a few workcamps outside the Washington area. In recent years, these workcamps have been in Appalachia, helping to repair homes. Read about one of these workcamps in our newsletter.
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