YSOP’s intense immersion program of Workcamps helps student volunteers to understand service and homelessness.  During Workcamps, students, in small service teams, volunteer at different sites around the city. 

YSOP volunteers prepare and serve meals at soup kitchens; they provide recreational activities and companionship to young, formerly homeless children; they distribute food and supplies at food pantries; they socialize and bring snacks to people in drop-in centers.  Occasionally they join in special projects we have been asked to staff, such as painting a new shelter with residents or distributing clothing at a clothing bank. 

YSOP carefully and regularly monitors all worksites where we volunteer.  This ensures that the sites are organized and safe, that YSOP volunteers are utilized efficiently and that everyone is treated with respect. 

Before the Workcamp experience, YSOP holds an orientation that prepares participants for the day of service, paying careful attention to issues of safety and expectations. After each day of service, everyone returns to YSOP to share their impressions of the day.  Each team describes its work and the challenges faced.  Team members answer questions from the group and make comments.  Participants are encouraged to think of ways they can connect the YSOP Workcamp experience to their daily lives.

YSOP offers three types of Workcamp programs: 

Overnight         Service Day       Weeklong

To print YSOP Participant Information Sheets:

Student         College       Adult