What is a Volunteer Village?

What are the camp conditions?

What is a day like in the life of a village?

What will I need to bring?

Is there a cost to stay in the village?

Are the Villages only for Presbyterians?

Must I be part of a group to come?

I have heard there are age requirements. Is this true? Why?

Where can we go if our group has participants that do not meet the age minimums?

Volunteer Villages provide a predictable, safe, and sanitary environment for volunteer groups where they can live in community while serving others. The vision of the village is to create community among all the volunteers present in the village each week. Community is created one week at a time, facilitated by a volunteer village manager who is also a volunteer. Each village houses between 90-120 people, so each week there can be as many as six or seven different teams present from churches around the country.

What are the conditions at the village?

The village is comprised of plastic pods each housing 2-3 volunteers. The pods are all conditioned with air conditioning and heat. Village residents sleep on cots. Each village also has five large shelters for dormitory style housing and administrative facilities. There are showers, toilets, and full cooking facilities available. A truck and tool trailers equipped with construction tools are available at each village site.

What is a day like in the life of a village?

Breakfast begins at 7:00 a.m. followed by devotions at 8:00. Volunteers then leave by 8:30 for work sites and do not return until 5 p.m. Supper is from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m., followed by evening devotions at 7:30 and lights out at 10:00 p.m.

Teams in the village take turns leading devotions and cooking for the camp. It is expected that volunteers who are in the village over the weekend will participate in worship at a local church, providing support and encouragement to the broader community.

What will I need to bring?

When you call to make a village reservation, the PDA Call Center (866-732-6121) will send you a packet of information that will answer your questions fully and include informational lists of what you should pack. Besides bringing appropriate clothes and gear , we encourage teams to bring appropriate building supplies if possible (check with the village you are assigned to in order to determine what would be appropriate) and/or extra funds to purchase supplies.

Is there a cost to stay in the village?

Are the Villages only for Presbyterians?

Must I be part of a group to come?

Yes. The villages are organized around the concept of building community, and this is done through organized groups taking responsibility for particular sets of village chores.

I have heard there are age requirements. Is this true? Why?

Yes — there are minimum age requirements. For Volunteer Villages our minimum age requirement is 18. [Read more] There are a number of reasons we have established minimums:

• Safety and liability issues. There are power tools and high activity levels at the site. Construction sites are not suitable places for young teens. We are in regular ongoing conversation with the PC(USA) the insurance underwriters regarding the village structure and safety, and the age minimum has been determined appropriate.
• Trauma. This is an area of unprecedented destruction and the stories of survivors are heart wrenching. This can be a heavy emotional impact on young people.
• Environmental health. There are high mold concentrations and other toxins in the environment. We do not feel it wise to unnecessarily expose young people to such potential health hazards.

Where can we go if our group has participants that do not meet the age minimums?

Glad you asked — we have a places for you in Florida (email Tracie Hardin or call 877-352-7326) and in West Virginia (email Joan Stewart or call 304-779-2870). The National Volunteer Office is also searching for volunteers. Nancy Cavalcante, the Associate for the National Volunteer Office has told us “We have a book full of mission trip opportunities for all ages, and many of these mission needs are going unmet because of the high level of teams going to the gulf.”