International Work Camp 2017

Saturday, August 5th – Saturday, August 12th 2017

L = Fx – Work is the integral of force.

Different ages and places have impressed a whole array of rhythms, efforts, illusions and salaries on the productive hours of human life . While work ennobles us, we know it can also alienate us. We know that if we love our job, it will not feel like work at all, and the secret often lies in the right pace. But how do we live our job or the lack of it, and how can we relate to it? During the camp we will experience paradoxical suggestions and ruthless doctrines, with our hands and our minds we will shape our work time to imagine the experience of those who venture to work day after day: to get busy in order to live, or live in order to get busy , to barely survive or perhaps no longer even choose how to live and work.

In the last three years we have explored concepts that define time and relationships. In 2017 we will reflect on the topic that best qualifies this Camp and the majority of human beings: work (and its opposite).

Participation Fees for the seven days of the camp:

ORDINARY FEE: 48 Euro
SUSTAINER’S FEE: 90 Euro
ENTHUSIAST’S FEE: 132 Euro

To confirm one’s application after acceptance (communication of which will arrive from the office), one must make a reservation payment on the account Conto Corrente Postale n° 20378105 in the name of Agape Centro Ecumenico or making a bank transfer (IBAN IT85 T076 0101 0000 0002 0378 105), always in the name of Agape Centro Ecumenico. One may pay either the entire participation fee for the camp or a portion of the fee: 12,00 Euro. If one chooses to pay only a portion of the fee, one must arrive at Agape ready to pay the difference. The reservation fee will not be refunded in the event of absence.

How the camp participation fees are calculated

The average cost of one day at Agape is 39 Euros per person. This amount, multiplied by the number of days the camp lasts, corresponds with the base fee. The base fee covers only living costs; it is not enough to cover other camp costs (materials, reimbursements for speakers, staff, etc…).

The ordinary fee, however, is not limited to living costs, but covers the effective costs of the camp. This fee reflects the comprehensive cost of participation.
The next fee, the sustainer’s fee, helps Agape reconcile the base fee with the actual financial demand of the camp. It contributes to the camp scholarship fund so that each camp is able to financially sustain itself, in reciprocal solidarity.
Lastly, the enthusiast’s fee, as the name implies, allows for those who deeply believe in Agape’s project to contribute not only to the camp itself, but to the center in its entirety: a center continuing to thrive, as from its beginnings, through volunteer work and from contributions freely given by those invested in Agape’s continuation.
You may freely choose from the above fees based on your income, your level of involvement with Agape, and/or from your current financial feasibility. Because Agape isn’t your average guest house, there are neither clients nor personnel, and the service offered does not depend on how much one chooses to pay. The residents and workcamp volunteers voluntarily offer their work up to the community so that those who participate in the camps may do so in the best conditions possible. Collaboration in communal service, which is asked of all, present the opportunity for everyone to get to know each other: those who are present for just one week with those remaining on longer term. The money you pay serves not just for your week-long stay at Agape, but also to help maintain her structure that is more than 60 years old, to create new projects, and to allow others to participate in her various activities. This contribution is one of the multiple meanings of AGAPE.

Various Advisories for Your Stay at Agape

Participating in a camp at Agape means to take part in the community life of the center. Those who participate in a camp, come to study, or come on vacation are equally invited to respect certain rules.

  • Each and every participant is expected to participate fully and completely in his/her camp, in all of its activities.
  • Early departures and late arrivals are not permitted; in the case of an unexpected early departure, the participation fee will not be even partially reimbursed.
  • Adults and youth more than 15 years old must bring a valid form of identification.
  • Each and every participant is expected to help dry dishes, and set and clear the tables. Agape retains necessary this tradition of communal work on the part of everyone, not just because of the needed help, but also because it remains an important sign of sharing in the work.
  • Agape is not responsible for injuries or harm sustained during her camps due to lack of attention to the rules of her structure and to the rules given from camp to camp. The center takes responsibility of participants’ cash and other objects only when expressly given over to her for care. Agape asks for reimbursement for any damages incurred by guests.
  • Agape is at 1,600 meters and correspondingly has snowy winters. One must bring comfortable warm clothing and appropriate footwear.
  • The bedrooms contain three or four beds with a shared bathroom on each floor. There are no precomposed single or double bedrooms. Agape provides bed linens and blankets, and asks guests to bring their own towels.
  • As in accordance with hygienic norms, Agape does not permit dogs or other animals in the buildings.
  • Agape cannot administer medicine. Those with particular medical needs must bring with him/herself the necessary medications as the pharmaceutical store in Prali does not open every day.