More About Workcamps

What are Workcamps?

Workcamps are Quaker-based service programs of varying lengths and intensity that are committed to understanding and breaking the cycles of violence through education, understanding, reflection and action.  They were started in 1917, following the model of pacifist service that William James wrote extensively about in his 1910 essay “The Moral Equivalent of War.”  

What is the purpose of Workcamps?

The purpose of a Workcamp is to give participants an opportunity to explore the world as it is, to learn more about how we got here, to envision where we would like the world to be and to learn about ways that we can make a difference as groups as well as individually. 

What do people do in Workcamps?

We work with group leaders to develop a program based on the ages and interests of the group.  We create a program that offers a range of experiences including grassroots community service (such as helping with home and property maintenance, park and riverside cleanup), volunteering in agencies that serve the community through structured programs, and advocacy. 

A Sample Program about Poverty/Homelessnes/Hunger might include:

  • a shift of meal preparation at a soup kitchen
  • help with gardening for an elder home-bound resident
  • help clean trash in the neighborhood
  • make sandwiches and hand them out at parks, personally engaging with people
  • meet with an organization that advocates for economic equality
  • meet a representative of an elected official to discuss issues in the community
  • Through reflection and education, we explore more deeply how issues are interconnected (such as homelessness, poverty, nutrition and the environment.  through both education and service
  • We also explore the values and beliefs within each of us and how they inform our visions and actions – basically to ask “why do we care?” – as well as what our individual and collective strengths are in taking action

We strive to balance the group’s desires with the community needs and with our own experiences and knowledge about service and justice.  There are inherent challenges in this.  As Service Learning has become a requirement in schools, and community service is often court-ordered, people often are compelled rather than called to service.  The shorter the Workcamp, the less opportunity there is to engage in a process and to develop relationships (although when we have on-going conversations with group leaders, and perhaps even meet with groups in their own community, we can have a better process.)  Increasingly, volunteer shifts at the more popular soup kitchens have to be booked months in advance.  In addition, people often enter into service with the notion that their service stint will change the world.  Our belief is that it is not what happens during the Workcamp, but what the participants do after the Workcamp that really matters.  How did the Workcamp raise awareness and consciousness to the issues in his/her community?  What is the broad range of ways that people can make a difference?  How can each person’s talents and gifts be best utilized?  How might increased awareness influence what a person does in life, or how he/she views justice and equality?  How might one become a better steward of his/her resources?  How can you take personal responsibility for action while being a part of a larger action?  These are not questions to be answered quickly, but to be pondered and perhaps used as guides.  This is what we strive to initiate. 

We are attentive and knowledgeable about the developmental stages of participants, so we design experiences and reflections to engage them at their level. For older participants (late high school and older) for example, we may have discussions with the group about the real depth of commitment to any work includes the following:

  • To have any lasted effect, our heart must be moved by compassion
  • We may find it intimidating
  • We may have to use our own resources
  • It may be inconvenient
  • It may be expensive
  • We may be ridiculed
  • We will have to take ongoing responsibility
  • Everyone is our neighbor, including people across the globe and future generations

 

How do Workcamps reflect Quakerism?

Many Quakers recognize Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship as the “Quaker Testimonies”.  At William Penn House, we recognize that these testimonies are interconnected, and in our programs we seek to grow towards a holistic vision of how to express them through how we live.  We start with one of the fundamentals of Quaker theology – “there is that of God in all” – as our premise.  Through a variety of experiences, we explore the world of social justice through the lens of Community, and reflect on how we can bring greater Equality to the world – starting in our own community.  An important part of this is to go out with Simplicity of heart and mind, meaning to be conscious of our own assumptions and prejudices about others, and to strive to put those aside so that we can seek the common bonds of humanity despite differences.  The result is that we learn how to break through divisive barriers that are at the core of violence and injustice – classification of “us” and “them” – thus bringing greater peace and understanding.  Out of this flows greater Integrity in how we live in accordance with what we espouse, and in the relational work we can bring greater Stewardship to the world. 

If you are interested in participating or developing a Workcamp, or a program that explores issues in other ways, we would love to talk with you.  Please call us (202-543-5560) to discuss your ideas. 

This video tells the story of one man who freed himself of the societal constraints he had been taught, and committed his life to the hard work.  We recognize that not all of us can do this, but we do believe that we can all do something every day to make a difference.