Frequently Asked Questions

Campers on camp

What does a typical day of camp look like?
Do you have to be a Christian or go to church to come on camp?/a>
What is the Christian input on the camp like?
What expectations do you have of campers whilst on camp?
Can my child be in the same room as their friends?
What if my child doesn't know anybody else on camp?
Are you equipped to have children with disabilities on camp?
Why do you require camp to be tech free?
What should I bring to camp?

Leadership and superversion on camp

Who are the Staff and Volunteers on camp?
What supervision is provided during camp?
Do Leaders stay in the cabins with the campers?

Refunds and Cancellations

What happens if I need to change/cancel my booking?
What if my child is sick and can't attend?

Holiday Camps Frequently Asked Questions

What does a typical day of camp look like?

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Do you have to be a Christian or go to church to come on camp?

Being ‘Christian Youth Camps’, this is one of the most common questions we are asked about Holiday Camps. We have a wide variety of children who come to our camps, and these range from campers who are part of a local church or youth group, to campers who have little or no background with faith.

Campers are not required to come from a particular denomination or have any affiliation with a church in order to come to camp. Many children come because they are invited by friends, come to one of the campsites on a school camp, or stumble across this website!

Having said this, it is important that all Campers are aware that age-appropriate interactive Bible-based sessions are held each day as an integral part of camp. They are Christian camps, but you don’t have to be a Christian or go to church to attend.

What is the Christian input on the camp like?

All CYC Ministries Holiday Camps include age- appropriate Bible-based sessions each day. In general these would include a time of singing, a short message from the camp speaker, a game or activity relating to the message, and time to ask questions and reflect on the session. In addition, all Leaders on camp are Christians, and are available to answer questions that campers may have about the Christian faith.

Our camp speakers are predominantly from local churches and/or other Christian organisations and are chosen based on their ability to effectively communicate with the specific age group for the camp.

Given the breadth of different backgrounds of our campers, we aim for our sessions to be inclusive and sensitive to the demographics of each camp.

What expectations do you have of campers whilst on camp?

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Can my child be in the same room as their friends?

On the camp application form there is space to list a cabinmate. We do our very best to accommodate these requests. Sometimes, such as when too many people are ‘linked’ together in a friendship group, this may not be possible.

Please note: Unless requested otherwise, we usually put siblings in different cabin groups.

Campers are usually accommodated with others their own age and/or school year level and all sleeping accommodation is divided into boys rooms and girls rooms.

If you have concerns about how this works for your camper, we would encourage you to contact the Camp Director before placing an application.

What if my child doesn't know anybody else on camp?

One of the best parts of camp is meeting new friends! One of the main focuses of our program is to build relationships amongst campers. Campers will be placed in groups and teams, which will allow them to develop bonds from day one, and our Leaders are trained to help foster these new friendships. Our goal is to make sure that camp is a welcoming place for all!

Are you equipped to have children with disabilities on camp?

Whilst we are not specifically equipped to have children with disabilities on camp, all of our campsites are equipped with the appropriate facilities.

All of our Holiday Camps run at an overall Leader to Camper ratio of about one to three, and Cabin Leaders may have between three and six campers in their cabin. Leaders need to be able to divide their time evenly between all their campers, and are unable to give one to one care for particular campers.

If you have any questions about whether a particular camp would be suitable for your camper, and the way that we can make that work, we would encourage you to get in contact with the Camp Director for that camp for a further conversation.

Who are the Staff and Volunteers on camp?

Alongside our incredible staff team (link), all of our events are predominantly staffed by an incredibly passionate and dedicated group of volunteers, who are excited about spending a week of camp with your young person.

Our volunteers all come from local churches, with many of them also having previously been campers on our camps, and are passionate about giving young people and families an experience to remember on camp!

Our Volunteer leadership teams typically operate at a one to three ratio with campers, which means that not only are our campers supervised effectively, but they also have the opportunity to build relationships with some amazing role models.

All of our Volunteers engage in relevant training including child safety and role specific training, and are supervised by one of our staff team who will be on site at all times.

What supervision is provided during camp?

In a general sense, our Holiday Camps operate on approximately a one Leader to three camper ratio.. In general, Cabin Leaders will have between 4 - 6 campers directly in their care, and they are supported throughout camp by a number of volunteers filling other roles, as well as a First Aid person present on all camp.

It is our expectation that our leaders have direct supervision over all campers throughout the whole of camp.

Do Leaders stay in the cabins with the campers?

Due to child safety requirements, our Cabin Leaders do not sleep in the cabin with campers and are accommodated separately to the campers in nearby or adjacent rooms.

As part of our bed time routine, for both supervision and relationship building time, Cabin Leaders will remain with their campers in their cabins until all campers are asleep. They will then return to get campers up for the day prior to breakfast the next morning.

Campers will all be made aware of which room their Cabin Leaders are staying in, and these leaders are available to them (if needed) throughout the night as well.

What should I bring to camp?

When you book into camp, you will be sent a ‘reply letter’ that has a list of items to remember to bring along to camp. Sometimes it is the most obvious things that people forget to bring along to camp (ie. Extra shoes, towels).

You can find our general packing list for Holiday Camps here (link)

Why do you require camp to be tech free?

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What happens if I need to change/cancel my booking?

If you need to change/cancel your booking speak to the Camp Director. If you are unsure who the Camp Director is you can contact us at info@holidaycamps.org.au Refund and Cancellation Policy

In the event that you need to cancel any applications you have made for camp, the following policy applies.

• Up until 8 weeks from the start of camp; Transfer payment to another camp or full refund of any fees paid.

• Up until 2 weeks from the start of camp; Transfer payment to another camp or full refund of any fees paid, minus the 20% deposit paid on application

• Less than 2 weeks from the start of camp; No refund of any fees paid

In the event that a camper is sent home from camp due to illness, a partial refund may be available, in discussion with the Camp Director.

In the event that a camper is sent home from camp for behavioural reasons, no refund of any fees paid will be available. Any concerns or questions about refunds or cancellations should be directed to the appropriate Camp Director.

What if my child is sick and can't attend?

If your child is sick prior to the start of camp, please contact the Camp Director as soon as possible so that they can be aware.

If your child is sick prior to the start of camp, and will not be attending at all, you will receive back the total amount of camp fees already paid, minus the 20% deposit. Unfortunately we do not offer partial refunds for campers who are only able to attend part-time due to illness.

Please note: Campers and any siblings in the same household must be symptom-free of gastro for at least 48 hours before attending camp