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On YSOP Service Days,
students and adult volunteers work, learn and reflect on their
experiences in a warm, supportive atmosphere. Each Service Day
brings students together to serve homeless and hungry people in
various settings. Our program is guided by trained YSOP staff
who are responsible for the content sessions and supervision of
the participants. Additional adult volunteers also participate
as mentors for the student participants.
A typical Service day
begins at 7:45am when the group gathers at YSOP. We serve a
modest breakfast and have an orientation to the day. This time
helps students prepare for a day of service, answering any
questions and addressing any fears students have. We also
emphasize measures to assure the safety of all participants.
Each participant, youth and adult, shares what he or she will
bring to the service work for the day. We then divide into
small service teams, each with an adult mentor.
The teams spend the day
working at service sites in neighborhoods throughout the city,
either New York or Washington, DC. 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;
they distribute furniture to formerly homeless people getting
new housing. 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 to ensure that
the sites are organized and safe, that YSOP volunteers are
utilized efficiently and that everyone is treated with
respect.
Everyone returns to YSOP to share impressions of the day. Each
team describes its work and challenges faced. Team members
answer questions from the group and make comments. In a final
gathering, each Workcamper--student and adult--is encouraged to
reflect upon and then share with the group their impressions of
the Service Day. Participants are encouraged to think of ways
they can connect the YSOP experience to their daily lives.
Occasionally we host Service
Days
at other locations, such as at a school or church.
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YSOP Workcamps
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