San Antonio Weekend Program
This information is provided to help your group plan for your Week End. It provides background on the DOOR program and La Casa de Maria y Marta, specifics on who can participate, registration procedures, schedules, cost, transportation, insurance, and other logistics.
Who Can Participate?
The Urban Encounter experience program is designed for participants from middle-school age on up and is open to all denominations. We ask that one adult sponsor accompany every five youth who make up the group. We can accommodate groups of up to 30 total participants (youth and sponsors). Smaller groups may be paired with another smaller group, a practice that allows participants from different places and denominations to share the experience.
What Will You Do?
To see a Typical Weekend Schedule
A typical weekend begins with arrival for supper on Friday and ends with departure after worship on Sunday. An orientation/logistics session Friday evening helps prepare everyone for the weekend.
Examples of service assignments are preparing and serving meals; helping with children whose moms may be looking for a job, in school, or living on the streets; lawn and building maintenance for individuals, seniors and/or for organizations that temporarily house homeless families; stocking shelves in food banks; sorting donated clothing; taking a tour of a homeless shelter; general facilities maintenance for helping agencies; meeting with and listening to groups that are working for change in the city, or conversing and singing with senior citizens.
Cost and Registration for a Weekend Program
To see San Antonio's Weekend Calendar
Participant cost for 2008 varies, depending on the weekend you choose. Please view our Weekend Calendar for exact cost. This covers food, lodging, and materials for service experiences, and program administration. Our registration process has several stages:
- Return the group registration and the non-refundable $25 per person registration fee. This deposit will be applied in its entirety towards your total group cost and will hole your requested weekend.
- A 50% deposit is due ten weeks prior to your trip. This non-refundable deposit is per person; meaning if you deposit for 10 people and only bring 9, you lose the deposit for that one person. You may increase your numbers only with a telephone call to us. Upon receipt of this deposit, we will send you an orientation package. This is intended to prepare your group for the DOOR experience and we strongly recommend you take the time to go over it with your whole group.
- Balance is due upon arrival.
- All funds received must be in U.S. currency.
What To Bring To San Antonio
Groups coming in the fall of 2007 will stay at San Antonio Mennonite. Each participant should bring a sleeping bag, sleeping mat, a towel, and toiletries. Participants sleep in guest rooms decorated in honor of persons who have played a role in social justice because of their faith. Shower facilities are available at both facilities. Work clothing is a must; participants must be prepared to work in situations where they will get dirty such as painting, cleaning, serving food, or yard work. It is important to note that many of the agencies that we work with require that volunteers wear long pants, so every participant must have along at least one pair of long pants appropriate for work. Other casual/sport clothing should be brought as desired. During the weekend, we do a large amount of walking and so comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Come prepared for cool, warm, and hot weather as the temperatures in the fall and winter vary considerably here. La Casa provides towels and sheets. Keep in mind that there are no laundry facilities available at either place. Participants should also bring Bibles and notebooks. A detailed list of what to bring will be included in the orientation materials
Transportation
It is our policy to rely on the vehicles you come in to transport your work teams to and from service assignments as well as around the city to various events. You must provide appropriate transportation (one seat-belt per person) for your entire group throughout the entire weekend.
Health Insurance
There is always the chance that volunteers will need medical care. Accidents can and do happen during the service experiences, during recreational activities and free time, even on the trip to and from San Antonio. Since neither the DOOR program nor the La Casa de Maria y Marta carries medical insurance for participants, we ask that group leaders make sure that all group members have insurance and that the Medical Release Forms (sent to groups along with orientation materials) are completed and available when your group is in San Antonio.
Additional San Antonio Information