Quakers have a rich history of innovative and challenging service. Since 1986, Washington Quaker Workcamps have provided opportunities for people of all ages to continue this legacy of service through learning, experience and reflection.
WQW provide opportunities for participants to explore the world of social, environmental and economic justice through the lens of Washington DC as well as through the lens of Quakerism, pacifism and peacemaking. We encourage reflection and the importance of relationships and bearing witness as vital to making a real and sustainable impact. Each Workcamp is a unique experience for the participants, but is also increasingly an important part of the DC community (as well as other places where we run Workcamps), as each group that comes through our Workcamps acts as the temporary steward of the community responsibilities that come with living place in the world. Here is a sample schedule of a 5-day Workcamp, but for each group, we work closely to create a vibrant and meaningful experience. Often, themes and topics are chosen for Workcamps (such as hunger, or environment). Our job is to work with groups to see that once you start pulling on the thread of any issue, it is clear that all issues are interconnected and it is the action that starts with "me" that brings about real change.
Within 3 miles of our building, we have some of the greatest wealth of national and world history, and we have some of the worst environmental, social and and economic conditions in the country. Through WQW, we nurture a holistic sense of the world, integrating the past into the present while sharing a vision of the future. It is through this creative engagement that new ideas, new energies and emerging gifts can be brought to the surface. You can see more about Workcamps here. The video below highlights the spirit of Workcamps.
We work with many community partners in DC, as well as in West Virginia, New Orleans and South Dakota. A brief list includes:
Sunday, June 10, 2012 - 8:00am - Saturday, June 16, 2012 - 6:00pm
For the past decade, Washington Quaker Workcamps has gone to southern West Virginia with a group of students from Sidwell Friends School.
This year, we are adding a week and inviting peple to come and experience the beauty and harsh realities of life in coal country. As consumers of energy, it is a powerful experience to spend time in communities that benefited from the heyday of coal and now live with the economic, environmental and health consequences of our demand for cheap energy. We will spend the week working with Big Creek People in Action in dorm-style rooms and doing home repair/renovation projects during the day. The fee is $900/person including transporation to/from William Penn House.
Sunday, July 1, 2012 - 3:00pm - Friday, July 6, 2012 - 3:00pm
15 million visitors come to Washington DC every year, but few actually see beyond the tourist attractions to the community that keeps DC going. This Workcamp will include July 4 fireworks and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, but will go beyond as we connect with local organizations that do incredible work below the radar. In addition, we will see sites that few tourists venture to see. Lodging will be at William Penn House. The fee is $500 for the week.
Monday, July 23, 2012 - 3:30pm - Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - 3:30pm
Workcamp colleague Mike Gray has led Workcamps to Pine Ridge, SD for almost 2 decades, developing deep connections in the Lakota reservation. For the past four years, William Penn House has joined Mike on these Workcamps. We spend two weeks engaged in projects that engage in the continuing of sacred traditions while addressing the challenges of the present with a vision for the future. This is a great experience for those who enjoy beautiful places, as we camp on the edge of the Badlands, and like to explore new landscapes and sometimes painful parts of our history and present. Fees for this Workcamp are $850 for one week or $1550 for both weeks, not including transportation to/from Rapid City, SD.
Quakers have a rich history of innovative and challenging service. Since 1986, Washington Quaker Workcamps have provided opportunities for people of all ages to continue this legacy of service through learning, experience and reflection.
