Work Camp 2025  |  June 21-27
Final Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 10th
Registration Cost: $250 Early Bird (by 3/20) // $300 (until 4/10)
Spots Are Limited!

What is the Diocesan Work Camp?
The Diocesan Work Camp is a weeklong camp experience for high school youth to serve our brothers and sisters in need by making their homes safer, warmer, drier, and greener while also having the opportunity to grow in our Catholic faith. Work Camp is not just a youth event. It is an opportunity for parishes to make a difference in the lives of those in need right here in our diocese while encouraging youth to answer their baptismal call to serve others! It is a transformative experience in the life of the adults who assist as well, whether as a volunteer, contractor, or chaperone.
 
Who should attend Work Camp?
Work Camp is open to all high school-aged youth (rising 9th graders through graduated 12th graders). The week is going to require that youth give of themselves to serve others and to grow spiritually. It will be a challenging week that will provide many learning opportunities for participants and will push them both physically and spiritually. Throughout the week, they will be living in intentional Christian community and will spend most days serving others by repairing and updating homes.

When & Where is the Diocesan Work Camp?
The Diocesan Work Camp will be held Saturday, June 21, 2025, through Friday, June 27, 2025 in the area surrounding Bristol and Abingdon. The work projects will take place in the surrounding communities and will serve as our home base where participants and adults will sleep, eat, and participate in evening programming.
 
What is the structure of Work Camp?
Each day of Work Camp will have a full schedule of events. Below you will find a brief overview of the activities for the week.

Saturday: Arrival, Check-In, Opening Program
Sunday: Mass, Teambuilding, Work Site Visit
Monday - Wednesday: Daily Mass, Work Day on Site, Evening Program
Thursday: Daily Mass, Work Day on Site, Dinner with Residents, Evening Program
Friday: Daily Mass, Closing Program, Departure

Youth will have the opportunity to serve alongside youth from other parishes during the week. We will spend some time getting to know each other and learning how to work as a team. We will also review general safety and instructions and have the opportunity to prepare for the specific site locations. Each day we will celebrate Mass together. At various points throughout the week, there will be the opportunity for Eucharistic Adoration and Reconciliation. Evening program will have a wide variety of components and will be geared towards helping participants understand what the Catholic Church teaches about social justice. Each day there will also be the opportunity for each parish to gather to process the experiences of the day.

Due to the structure of the week all participants must be able to attend the whole week of Work Camp. Full participation is expected from check-in time on Saturday until after the closing programming on Friday.

*NEW for 2025* Cell Phone Policy for Youth
This year we will be implementing a new rule for youth participants. For the duration of their time at Work Camp they will not be allowed to have a cell phone, iPad, or laptop. This decision has been made to increase youth engagement and participation. Youth Ministers or Parish Points of Contact will be expected to set a communication plan with parents and to ensure that youth do not have these devices with them at Work Camp.

What is the lodging situation?
Participants will be staying at St. Ann Catholic School in Bristol, VA. The accommodations will be in classrooms so participants will need to bring an air mattress, sleeping bag, and pillow. All youth participants are required to stay at the home base location.

What does this registration fee cover?
The majority of the registration fee goes to cover the cost of materials necessary to complete the work projects. The work projects completed during Work Camp are significant home improvement projects (for example wheelchair ramp construction, deck and stair construction, and window replacement) that are designed to make homes warmer, safer, drier, and greener. The registration fee also goes to cover lodging, meals (Saturday dinner - Friday breakfast), and evening programming for all participants. The registration rate offered by St. Michael has already been significantly discounted thanks to our parish and the Life Teen 365 initiative.

What does the transportation look like?
Our parish group will head out to Hampton Roads in mini vans with our adult leaders (we need adult leaders!). These vans will then provide crucial transport to and from home base to the work sites each day in combination with all the vans the other parishes are bringing. Teens should bring money with them for lunch on the way to Work Camp on Saturday and dinner on the way home the following Friday.
 
Adult Help Needed!
We are looking for two adults who can join us this year, either as an adult leader (leading teen work crews and helping/mentoring them throughout the week - most common role) or as a contractor (coordinator for each work site, has a good understanding of scope of project given to them and the ability to teach and delegate -- click the contractor info form link below for a complete description of the knowledge/abilities needed to be a contractor and what information is prepped for you ahead of time). In gratitude for their willingness to help with Work Camp and to help St. Michael Life Teen, our parish chooses not to charge adults a registration fee up until we have the number of adults needed to adequately take care of the size of the group of teens attending.

If you would would like to help as an adult crew leader, register below following the normal steps. If you are interested in being a contractor, please contact Mike or Wilma directly before signing up.

How do I sign up?
 Per our usual sign up process for events, there are three steps:
 1. Sign up using the form below.
 2. Submit the registration fee, either in the same step with the form below, or by submitting a check to the YM Office made out to St. Michael.
 3. Complete and return the proper Info & Release Form found at the link below:

Youth Info & Release Form
Adult Info & Release Form
Contractor Info & Release Form

Your registration is only considered complete for any given deadline if all three steps have been completed. Once registered, we'll be following up with more info in late May/early June regarding lists for packing & personal tools to bring, as well as set a date for a pre-camp meeting at St. Michael.
 
Questions?
 Contact Mike Horvath, [email protected], 804.527.1037 x200