CAMP VINCENT 2004

Throughout the country there are 3,000 youngsters who every week go out into the community to help those less fortunate than themselves. 

They will help younger children in after-school  activities – assist those with learning difficulties – work with handicapped people young & old - go and visit elderly and housebound people – do their shopping or run errands

These unsung heroes are all members of the Youth Section of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Two hundred and ten of them spent four days at Ampleforth in Yorkshire for their annual Camp Vincent. 

Groups from all over the country invaded the famous College. They came from as far away as Bournemouth, Ipswich, London, Salisbury in the South; Workington, North Shields, Blackpool, Liverpool in the North and many more beside – altogether 42 school or parish groups.

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Under the guidance of 44 leaders the youngsters undertook workshops each morning to highlight their strengths and weaknesses. By using mandalas (circles divided into four sections), they illustrated their strengths and learnt how these help them in their SVP work. By a similar series of exercises they showed up their weaknesses and learnt how those could be overcome by strengths. It is the strengths that gives them values as individuals. 

The workshops also helped them examine their relationships with others whether it be within their own families, their school colleagues, or the people they work with in the SVP.

At the start of the Camp there had been some anxious faces as 210 young people gathered together for the first time. But they soon learnt that “a stranger is the friend you’ve never met.” There were many tearful farewells as the youngsters had to leave their new-found friends to head back to their homes.