FUGECAMPS partner with Youth Service, Inc. (“YSI”) in Philadelphia
FUGE CAMP is one of the world’s largest camps and, perhaps, the most intentional. The camp programming is designed to take students out of their normal routine and place them into an environment that is focused on life-change through a relationship with Christ. FUGE has been hosting these purpose driven camps for more than 30 years and uses their experiences to raise funds for mission driven programming. Clearly, these volunteers made a difference for the children and youth of YSI.
This summer FUGE CAMPS chose to come to YSI. Britany Sellers, the Philadelphia Site Director, reached out to Maurice Hayman, YSI’s Marketing Manager, to begin developing a summer camp experience in Philadelphia.
This was not the first Philadelphia encounter for FUGE CAMPS. FUGE has been coming to Philadelphia since 1999. The camp brings youth from other parts of the country together to participate in volunteer activities specifically designed for the agency and program where they will attend. There is weekly organization and planning to create activities that truly meet the needs of the youth they will work with. For four days of the week they travel to the site, engage in activities and debrief on their experience. The campers also get a campus experience by staying in the dorms of a local university for their six weeks of camp. During the evenings, the students get to do fun activities on campus following their days of service and even have a chance to be tourists in the city. Saturdays are the wrap up day, and then the staff prepares to welcome the next group that arrives on Monday. The camp logged over 24,000 hours of volunteer work in the city of Philadelphia this summer.
At YSI, FUGE campers had a chance to serve at Baring House and Youth Emergency Service (YES). At Baring House, campers interacted with the children and helped organize donated clothing and supplies. At YES, campers interacted with the teenagers and engaged in peer to peer volunteer work.
In Britany Sellers words,
“Beyond our hope of being a blessing, YSI was a blessing to us as well. Allowing us to serve those in need in the city and getting a bigger picture of how the city is seeking to help those in need. Our students came back energized and wanting to see if their home towns had something similar to a crisis nursery or youth shelter where they could continue their volunteer service.”
