While at camp, youth can choose to work in our Service Project program or our Day Camp program. Service Project runs every week of the summer, and consists of Minor Home Repair projects such as building porches, wheelchair ramps, sheds, painting houses, doing yardwork, or fulfilling any other expressed need. On the worksites, youth are encouraged to engage in problem solving and work as a members of a team moving together to accomplish a hands-on task. Youth are also encouraged to interact with families from lower socio-economic backgrouds, often opening their eyes to issues of poverty within our nation for the first time. Likewise, the experience is transformative because youth are putting their theological convictions and beliefs into practice. Here, the words and meditations of Jesus, “I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me....,” are brought to life. Similarly, in a time where experiential learning is more prevalent than before, youth desire an experience where they are able to “do” something about their passion and love for Jesus through serving His people. As Joey Butler in the article “(Not) talkin' ‘bout my G-G-Generation” writes, “The more opportunities Millennials have to get their hands dirty, the better. Churches need to look into their communities and see what needs are there - perhaps a pancake breakfast for the homeless, a Habitat build or a community cleanup.” Mountain T.O.P. provides an atmosphere where youth experience what it looks like to reach out to impoverished communities, thus empowering them to reach out to their own upon returning home.
2010 Dates:
YSM Week 1: June 6th - 12th
YSM Week 2: June 13th - 19th
YSM Week 3: June 20th - 26th, Service Project & Day Camp
YSM Week 4: June 27th - July 3rd
YSM Week 5: July 4th - 10th, Service Project & Day Camp
YSM Week 6: July 11th - 17th
YSM Week 7: July 18th - 24th, Service Project & Day Camp
YSM Week 8: July 25th - 31st
