WorkCamp 2023
WorkCamp
June 17-23, 2023
Registration Deadline has been extended to Sunday, February 12th
**We already held our first meeting 1/13, so anyone who registers between 1/13 & 2/12 will need to find a time to go over that information with Jeanne.
Who: Current 9-12th Graders
What: A week of service, fellowship, prayer and fun! (see “What is WorkCamp?” section below for more.)
When: June 17-23, 2023 (see “sample schedule” below for more details)
Cost: $350 (We are committed to not allowing cost to be the reason someone does not participate, so please contact Jeanne at youth@straymonds.org if this is an issue. Scholarships are available.)
Teens from other parishes, even non-Catholics are more than welcome to come to WorkCamp with St. Raymond’s, however the discounted rate only applies to St. Raymond’s parishioners. Teens from other parishes will need to pay the full $525.
Steps to Register:
- Complete & turn in all forms in the Registration Packet
- Teen Commitment
- Parent Commitment
- Sport Rock Permission Slip
- Application
- YA Info Form (does not have to be filled out if you already have on file this school year))
- Fill out Sport Rock Waiver
- Pay $100 WorkCamp Registration Fee
- Pay online here
or - Pay via cash or check made out to St. Raymond’s with “WorkCamp” in the memo line and drop it off at the parish office.
*Note: We are committed to not allowing cost to be the reason someone does not participate, so please contact Jeanne at youth@straymonds.org if this is an issue. Scholarships are available.
- Pay online here
What is WorkCamp?
WorkCamp is an intentional Christian Community that provides an opportunity for direct service to the young people within the boundaries of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington.
Teens must commit to the full day for all 7 days in order to participate. WorkCamp is open to current 9-12th graders.
See video below for a recap of the Arlington Diocese WorkCamp 2022!
St. Raymond’s Teens Reflect on WorkCamp
(video below)
“There is just no way to explain in words how much work camp has affected my relationship with God. There just aren’t any words good enough to describe it. Teens, this isn’t just going out to work in the heat of summer with people from other parishes you haven’t heard of. It is more about going out and helping people who are less fortunate than you are, who have suffered through hard times for as long as they could remember, who have to live in conditions where they have water coming through their ceiling every time it rains, or where it is unsafe to even step on their stairs to get outside. Truly though, this is about building your relationship with God through helping others. I’ve gone twice so far, and I am going again next year. Who’s coming with me?” -10th Grader
“I will always remember the people I met, the projects we completed, and the impact we had on the community, the joy that Workcamp instilled in me is not just a memory, but a part of my daily life.”-11th Grader
“WorkCamp was an amazing faith building experience for me. I walked into WorkCamp this year not knowing what to expect but I’m sure glad that I went. It gave me a full week to spend building a stronger relationship with God and making new friendships that could last a lifetime. Personally, I loved that the first thing we did everyday was go to Mass. It was a great way to start out everyone’s day. Along with Mass every day, another thing I loved was morning devotions. Every day in the car on the way to our worksites, we would do morning devotions and prayers. This allowed me to get to know my crew better and learn how to open up about my faith more. Some of the conversations we had were actually really helpful. I loved a lot of things about Work Camp but one of my favorite aspects of it was making new friends.” -9th Grader
“Work Camp was a great way to meet new people from my parish and other parishes in the Diocese of Arlington. I go to the same school with some of the people but never got an opportunity to talk to them until then. You are given a unique chance to pray and work together everyday and share your personal experiences in your spiritual life. Coming out of Work Camp you realize you’re not the only one struggling with something or facing similar questions and have a whole group of people you can relate to.“ -10th Grader
“When I first heard of Work Camp, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about it at all. I didn’t really like the idea of spending a whole week of my summer break in a school with a bunch of people I don’t know sleeping on the floor and no warm showers. I thought I was not going to have fun at all. I was completely wrong. From the moment I got there everyone was super kind and inclusive. My crew was really cool, I had a blast working and talking with them. Every morning we had morning mass and that was a great way to start off the day. Every night we had something called a program where everyone gathered in the gym and we sang songs and talked about our faith. Working felt more like hanging out with friends than work. The atmosphere of Work Camp is so fun and unique and it makes you want to just smile. I left Work Camp with so many new friends, a new mindset and more importantly, more knowledge of my faith. It’s an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m excited for next year’s Work Camp!”-9thGrader
“Participating in Work Camp deepened my love for Jesus Christ, gave me the opportunity to serve others in need, and allowed me to make strong Catholic friends.
Going to daily Mass, spending time in adoration, and receiving the sacrament of confession, allowed me to experience God’s love for me and strengthened my faith in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. I am more grateful for the daily celebration of the Mass where we can receive Jesus who is really and truly present in the Eucharist and be filled with His love for us.
In a crew with four other teens and three adults, my team painted a family’s kitchen, removed their old shed, and started construction on a new one. Even more important than the construction experience, I witnessed a family in need and learned that through service I was able to make a huge impact on that family’s life.” -12th Grader.
“WorkCamp is one week high schoolers from across the Diocese of Arlington take out of their summer vacations to serve God in the form of helping others. Each WorkCamper is assigned to a person whose home is in need of fixing (for example, a roof in need of repair or windows that need to be replaced) with the help of a crew of other high schoolers they’ve never met before. The day starts at 6:30 a.m. with a song blasting over the loudspeaker and mass at 7. Then everyone has breakfast and goes to their worksite. After hours of work, we all come back to homebase (the school we are staying at) to shower, eat dinner, and gather in the auditorium for Program where we sing songs, play games, and listen to inspiring talks. After this is all over, we reflect on the day and lights out by 10:30. Though this all sounds like a lot, it really didn’t feel like it.
Since this was my first year of WorkCamp, I didn’t really know what to expect. When I met with my crew for the first time, we didn’t bond instantly, but over the course of the week we worked very well together to complete our project and get to know our residents. On the last day, we invited our residents to eat lunch with us and get to know them and learn about their story. What really struck me was how thankful they were of the work we had done. I could feel God through them in their words of thanks. To know that I had helped to change the life of someone else in even a small way has changed my perspective on my own life and helped me further my relationship with God. On the drive home I reflected on the week and thought about how I’d miss daily mass surrounded by hundreds of teens who actually participated in singing the hymns. I’ve never seen so many teenagers so excited about God.” -11th Grader
“I want to encourage the teenagers here to participate in Work Camp. No matter how active you are currently in our parish and in the Faith, Work Camp is a fun and exciting opportunity for you to take a step, even a small step, closer to Christ. Whether you are an introvert like me or an extrovert, Work Camp really is a wonderful opportunity to grow closer to God through, prayer, service to others, and Christ centered friendships.” -12th Grader
“Earlier this summer, I went to my third WorkCamp with other teens from St. Raymond’s to spread the message of God through my work, and learn to further recognize my encounters with Him. During the week, I worked with a crew of 5 other people I had just met to repair a deck and ramp that was dangerous for the resident, who was in a wheelchair, to use. Without the use of electronics, I was able to interact with and bond with the community, as well as focus more on my work and God’s work, undistracted by all the temptations that comes with phones.
Throughout the hard work in the sun, I was reminded that although I was working on repairing this deck and ramp, God was the one working on me; to draw me closer to Him, and give me an opportunity to change for the better. Coming back from WorkCamp, according to this year’s theme- Walking Humbly with our God- I challenged myself on improving to continue to serve others, focus more on my own faults, and how to remediate them, and to be obedient to God’s will, not my own. I hope to keep the lessons learned in my heart and strive to love God more fully.” -12th Grader
“This past summer, I went to my first Workcamp along with 15 other high school teens from our parish, and about 800 more teens from throughout our diocese, to serve others and walk humbly with God. For an entire week, I experienced working together with a team of people whom I had never met before, to help make the homes of those in need within our diocese, warmer, safer and drier. Through this experience, I was able to meet and bond with so many new people and encounter Christ in a different way. I was reminded that we don’t generally seek God although He is constantly seeking and reaching out to us. We have to open our hearts and allow him to come in just as the residents accepted us into their homes. I felt God working through me and saw God in the those around me. I also had fun socializing and making friends with people who are not only fun and compassionate but who also share in and value my beliefs. At Workcamp, I felt more aware of God’s presence throughout the week and how often God was providing for me. I also revaluated my life and the way I was living at Workcamp contrasted to how I was living at home. At Workcamp we did everything with a focus on God and our community; from the way we ate, worked, and spent time with each other; it was all to praise and glorify God. After this experience, I feel inspired to bring the joy and love of Christ that I encountered at WorkCamp back to my own home, parish, school and community. -10th Grader
“Each night during WorkCamp, our parish gathered together for discussions. One of the questions that really struck me was “where did you see mercy today or this week at WorkCamp?” There were many examples but one I cannot forget is the compassion and fun my crew enjoyed with the many children surrounding our site. Before WorkCamp, I just thought it we were going to go in, fix a deck, and get out. But through the children I remembered that we are also here to bring Christ to our worksite. This years WorkCamp changed me because it showed me that we are not only physically improving our site but spiritually improving it as well.
Each day at WorkCamp brought me closer to God because it allowed me to improve the spiritual conditions of both myself and my community. Because of this I can’t stop now, I’m fueled up with all this spiritual energy to do more for my community.”-9th Grader
“The thing that really helped me talk to God and for the first time ever truly believe in his existence was Adoration. Just the amount of people that were in tears just looking at Jesus in the monstrance on the altar during Adoration. I was amazed, then when I started praying I just felt it. I felt God’s presence not only in the room but right next to me. I don’t know how to explain it, He was just there.
From then on I’ve gone to almost every youth group, I go to Mass every Sunday, and I still go to CCD and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon.” -10th Grader
The promo video below is from a past WorkCamp hosted by the Diocese to give you a general idea of what WorkCamp is like.