Christian Youth Camps runs structured camp programs designed to support faith, fun and community.
Camp creates space for young people to grow in confidence, independence, faith, friendships, and resilience — often through experiences they wouldn’t usually have access to in everyday life. This could include trying new activities, being away from home, building community, disconnecting from technology, and discovering more about themselves in a supportive environment.
Christian Youth Camps (CYC) runs a wide range of experiences, including holiday camps, specifically primary school camps and teen camps. Regardless of the type of camp that your child attends, two of the most meaningful outcomes of attending CYC camps are personal growth and new experiences.
Five different holiday camp programs run at CYC Ministries, each with its own site and available activities. Between Forest Edge, Turbo, Impact, Three Sixty, and City Camps, there is bound to be a camp best suited to each camper. Some are tucked away in the lush green of rural Victoria, while others are just a short walk from beautiful beach shores. Each camp has different site facilities, programming, and unique traditions.
What is the best age for Camp?
One of the most common questions CYC is asked is all about what ages can go on camp. CYC camp programs can uniquely benefit people across different stages of life.
CYC believes in the impact that camp can have on the lives of young people and families, which is why it strives to build camp programs that aren’t just available to different age ranges, but are specifically designed to best engage them and support them in their unique stage of life. Camp can serve different purposes for different people, which is part of what makes camp so special.
Primary camps
CYC primary camp programs are designed to engage children in Years 3-6 at primary school. CYC understands that a holiday camp can sometimes be a young person’s first time away from home, not in a school context, and it can be a lot scarier than staying at a friend or family member’s home.
That’s why CYC carefully curates its primary programs to help foster independence and confidence in young people. It seeks to create warm and welcoming environments, helping to develop key developmental and social skills for children in this age bracket. Stepping away from home and school can be an incredible opportunity for growth in young people. CYC primary camps are always filled with wild and wacky fun!
Teen camps
When it feels like the stress of high school, social pressures, and the constant presence of devices and social media are taking over life, camp can offer a well-deserved break.
CYC teen camps are an opportunity for young people in Years 7-12 to disconnect from social media and instead connect into a welcoming, supportive, and fun community of peers. These camp programs are a breath of fresh air among the stress and pressure of regular life. Plus, with ample opportunities to meet other people their age from different backgrounds as well as discussing topics of life and faith, coming to camp can be an excellent growth opportunity for teens.
Why CYC camps are tech free
CYC camps are committed to being a device-free space. For some adults signing young people up for camp, the idea of getting them disconnected is a huge selling point.By having no phones or devices on camp, CYC is able to build much deeper connections, much faster. Without distractions of the outside world or social media filling up hours, campers get the chance to step back and build new relationships. No phones means that time is instead spent playing games, trying new activities, getting to know fellow campers, and making lifelong memories. Campers and leaders alike have found it rejuvenating to get a break from the constant hours of screen time, instead getting to spend their school holidays getting out into nature and having fun.
CYC shares the 10 biggest benefits of school holiday camp programs:
1. The holiday entertainment is sorted
School holidays always come around faster than expected. That last-minute hustle to find plans for kids and teens during their term break is always a point of stress — but it doesn’t have to be!Heading on camp is a fun, active, and community-based way to fill up several days of the holidays. Whether you’re working and looking for supervision, or whether you’d like a few days with an empty house, signing up for camp is a win-win. All the entertainment is organised for you, and your camper will get the experience of a lifetime … what could be better?
2. Building relationships
Going to camp isn’t just about playing games and hanging out by the campfire (though those are both great, too!). Campers get to connect with an incredible community of people their age, bonding through the experiences they share and the amazing discussion times they have together. Is there any faster way of making friends than getting covered in mud during messy games together or racing down the waterslide?
The camp community is powerful. Campers get to meet people they never would have connected with otherwise, often from all across Victoria. And, as per tradition, they’re sure to be scrambling for ways to stay in contact when it’s time for sign-out.
3. Trying new experiences
There’s no place quite like camp. Where else can you zoom down a 110-metre waterslide, zip across the site on a flying fox, conquer your fears on the high ropes course, or try your hand at canoeing? No matter which site they go to, your camper is bound to have opportunities to try various new activities and experiences. From colour powder wars to capture-the-flag, every day is sure to be memorable.
4. Unplugging for a week
All CYC Holiday Camps are tech free. For some young people, hearing that makes them not want to come to camp at all! But that break will be worth it.
When our eyes are locked on screens all day every day, even during school hours, it can be unbelievably refreshing to take a step back. Campers get to put all their energy into building friendships, enjoying the fresh air, and throwing themselves into various games and activities. The community we’re able to build when we aren’t scrolling through social media is amazing — even in just a handful of days! Camp is a great way to get young people unplugged, reconnected to those around them, and enjoying everything the great outdoors has to offer.
5. Personal growth
CYC has seen countless transformations over the course of camp — sometimes it’s campers coming back season after season, and sometimes it’s watching someone come out of their shells over just five days! Camp is a place to develop key social and personal skills, with programs specifically designed to engage young people in experiences that build these key life skills.
6. Learning more about life and faith
At CYC Ministries, our Christian faith is at the core of everything. Everyone is welcome on these camps, regardless of their personal backgrounds or beliefs, but the programs will have daily Christian input. These sessions will be targeted towards the appropriate age groups, with a guest speaker in to present on various aspects of faith. Campers will get a chance to split off into their cabin groups to ask questions, provoke deeper thought, and discuss matters of life and faith.
7. Spending time with incredible leaders
CYC camps are run by an incredible team of volunteer leaders. These leaders take time out of work and school to come on camp, simply because they’re passionate about building up the next generation. Your camper will get to spend a week with one or two leaders who will cheer them on, care for them, and invest in their wellbeing.
8. Stepping out of comfort zones
A part of CYC’s goal on camp is to create a safe space for young people to step out of their comfort zones. This can come in all shapes and sizes — be it getting to know a new group of people or scaling the high ropes course. The encouraging and supportive community of leaders and campers is here to cheer on everyone on camp. CYC provides opportunities to step out and conquer fears, and will help make it happen in any way it can.
9. Making memories
Why let another school holidays pass by? Camp makes the term break unforgettable. Every moment of camp is well worth remembering. From trying out the mountain boards to chatting around the campfire, a week at camp is sure to be something your camper will cherish for years to come.
10. Having fun
Camp is heaps, and heaps, and heaps of fun! CYC Holiday Camp programs are designed to engage different age groups depending on which camp they’re on. CYC strives to pack every day of camp with as much fun as possible, from wild games to unforgettable outdoor recreational activities. Spending your school holidays on camp is one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year … so why not jump in on the fun?
All in all, camp is an impactful and refreshing way to spend the school holidays. If there’s a young person in your life who you think could benefit from the things listed above, sign them up — CYC camp programs can fill up quickly.
CHRISTIAN YOUTH CAMPS: cyc.org.au