Leadership FAQ
Please note: The following FAQ's are specifically related to Camp Leadership. A broader range of other questions can be found in the main Holiday Camps section of the site.Where are the campsites located?
What are your Staff to Camper ratios?
Do you cater for special dietary requirements?
What are the facilities like?
Do you have a policy on smoking?
Are the Leaders paid?
I'm from overseas and would like to work on your camp. How do I apply?
What kind of background checks etc. are staff required to complete?
Do the Leaders stay in the cabins with the Campers?
Where are the campsites located?
Holiday Camps are run at the following campsites:
CYC The Island
41 - 53 Church Street
Cowes, 3922
Phillip Island Adventure Resort
1775 Phillip Island Road
Cowes, 3922
Forest Edge CYC
405 McKenzie Road
Neerim East, 3831
Adanac CYC
47 Hoddle Street
Yarra Junction, 3797
What are your Staff to Camper ratios?
We operate on approximately a one Leader to three camper ratio for our Holiday Camps. In general, Cabin Leaders will have between 3 - 6 Campers directly in their care, and they are supported by Program staff, First Aid, Study Leaders etc. This does not include other staff such as cooks, cleaners etc.
Do you cater for special dietary requirements?
The first thing to note with this question is that the catering provided for the camp is usually done so by the campsite at which the camp is being held. Therefore, our ability to cater to different dietary requirements may be slightly different depending on the location of the camp.
In general, we are able to cater for basic dietary requirements, such as vegetarians, dairy-free etc. without a problem. For more complex needs, we may require the camper to supply some or all of their own food for the week. The key is good communication early in the process. If you have any concerns with regards to food allergies etc. please talk to us and we’ll work out the best approach for an enjoyable stay for your child at camp.
All of the campsites operate year-round for school and weekend groups, so the catering staff are quite conscious of the different dietary requirements that come through the camps.
What are the facilities like?
Often people hear the word “camping” and think of tents. This is not the case (except on special occasions) with Holiday Camps. There are different styles of accommodation at each campsite, but in general, the campers sleep in ensuited cabins, heated during the winter months. This is camping with the creature comforts of home.
Meals are served in restaurant quality dining rooms from commercial kitchens, and the facilities are kept in top condition all year round.
Check out the information specific to the individual campsites for more information.
Do you have a policy on smoking?
Smoking is not allowed on camp. Whilst we do not want to discriminate against campers who have this addiction, even if we wanted to allow smoking, under Victorian laws, it is impossible to do so.
As our Leaders are in a role of being a positive role model to campers, we also require that they do not smoke, as this is not seen as a desirable habit to model to the campers.
Are the Leaders paid?
No. Camp Leadership is on a voluntary basis.
I'm from overseas and would like to work on your camp. How do I apply?
Sometimes we have enquiries from overseas (mainly US and Canada) about coming over and working on camps. Mostly these are Summer staff from Christian Camps in their own country. We need to know a lot more about you before we can begin to answer your question. What Camp/s have you worked at? In what capacity? How old are you? Are you male or female?
Are you a Christian? What is your Church Involvement? What qualifications do you have? How long were you thinking of coming for? When were you thinking of coming? Can you supply references from your Pastor, Camp Manager etc? A little bit of background helps us a lot in answering your questions.
Our camps are staffed by Volunteer Leaders. We do not pay a salary, and in general, do not provide accommodation outside of camp times. You must sort out your own visas and travel arrangements.
Please note: Camping “culture” in Australia is very different to that in the US and Canada. The Summer Camp “season” is a lot shorter than the two month block style of US Camps. CYC Ministries is also a bit unique, in that we run camps at campsites, rather than being a campsite running camps. Often in between one week of camps and the next, there might be a weekend group that has hired the facilities, which is why accommodation in between camp times cannot be guaranteed.
Having said all this, we do love to have international staff on our camps, so if you are interested, please contact us with as much information as possible and we’ll see what will work out. We also have a number of contacts with other campsites around Victoria and Australia.
What kind of background checks etc. are staff required to complete?
We take very seriously our duty of care to the campers. All Leaders must have a thorough reference check completed before serving on camp.
Leaders are selected based upon a Confidential Reference (usually completed by a pastor at their church) as well as a secondary reference.
Leaders complete an initial application, are required to undergo initial and ongoing training, and sign up to a Leader’s Code of Conduct and Safe Practice.
Leaders complete a Statutory Declaration regarding their good character and must hold a valid Working With Children Check Card (or applicable check from their state/country if from outside of Victoria)
Do the Leaders stay in the cabins with the Campers?
On the vast majority of our camps, we stick to the traditional model of having Leaders in the rooms with the Campers. Where this is not the case, the Leaders are still responsible for their cabin group until it is time to go to sleep, and are accommodated within easy access to the Campers in case they are needed overnight (ie. If a Camper is sick etc.)
On the Impact Camps, the Leaders do not stay in the rooms with the Campers, but are spread out in adjoining rooms (similar to teachers on a school camp).
