Applications for Summer Missionaries are now open
Registrations for parishes/faith communities to open soon
WELCOME HOME, This is what every teenager hears the moment they step onto the grounds at a Life Teen Summer Camp. From your dining room table to the altar at your home parish, we understand the importance of teenagers having a sense of home — a place of belonging and peace and safety. Whether you’re raising a family or building a parish community, we know how much effort you put into creating a physical, emotional, and spiritual place that others can call “home.” Our goal is simple: to be a continuation of that effort — to extend your home’s reach into a teenager’s summer camp experience. We may not know what a teenager’s life is like when they arrive at camp but no matter their questions, doubts, or struggles they may be working through, they are always welcome. This is their home, away from home.
Keen to experience the #bestcampever? Sign up below to receive updates regarding registrations for parishes and faith communities as well as for summer missionaries.
Experience Life
We are created for great things. We are meant to live with a joy that penetrates the darkness of this world. We desire more from our relationships and experiences. We want to live a bold life. We crave a love that will never leave us. We are meant to experience life.
Summer camp with Life Teen is an incredible opportunity to bring your teens into an incredible experience of life. For over 15 years, we’ve provided experiences at summer camp where your teens are able to be free and confident in themselves, develop new friendships with other teens from your parish, and encounter God working in their lives. This is the summer that you begin to experience a bigger and better life than you ever thought possible.
Experience Freedom
Life Teen Summer Camps are ready to welcome you home for the best summer imaginable. We’ve crafted an exhilarating, uplifting and powerful week of activities that are designed to help lead teens closer to Christ, and closer to their parish group.
Don’t miss out on the chance to experience freedom through a life-changing summer that will ignite your faith, reinvigorate your parish and fill your heart with the love of God.
FUN
Let's Get Messy
You haven’t truly lived until you’ve gotten messy at a Life Teen Summer Camp. Every year we cook up bigger and better messy games and obstacle courses that will keep you on your toes. A true summer camp staple, the muddier you get, the more fun you’ll have!
Something For Everyone
With plenty of free time throughout the week, Life Teen camps offer you the chance to choose your fun. Why not play an epic game of football, ultimate frisbee or touch? Feel like being creative? We’ve got an Art Barn for you to make crafts, play music, and much more.
Nothing Like It
There’s no camp quite like Life Teen Summer Camp! Every year we dream up new, crazy ways to get you laughing, shouting, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. Whether you’re competitive or more of a team player, we’ll have activities you can’t wait to sink your teeth into.
FAITH
Rooted In Sacraments
Life Teen believes deeply in the power and grace of the Sacraments, and our camp will provide a multitude of opportunities to experience God through the Sacraments, including daily Mass, confession every morning and night, and Eucharistic Adoration. Our desire is for every teen to leave camp with a stronger relationship with Jesus Christ.
Inspiring Sessions
At any given week of Life Teen summer camp, you’ll find some of the best and brightest speakers and musicians in Catholic youth ministry. Teens will hear powerful talks from relatable, funny, and challenging hosts, along with prayerful and engaging praise and worship music from music ministers. Every session is crafted to assist teens in examining their lives and growing in their faith.
Personal Prayer
Camp provides the space for everyone, and we mean everyone, to develop a deeper and more meaningful prayer life. With a balance of group reflections, guided prayer activities and silent personal meditations, we create enough space for every teen to dive into a rhythm of prayer that is ready for them to carry over into their daily lives.
FRIENDS
Strengthening Parishes
Life Teen summer camp is a great place for parishes to grow together in faith and unity. No teen can come to camp by themselves; we’re committed to building up parishes through designating intentional time together, investing in youth ministers and empowering core members. Parishes will arrive as a group, and leave as a family.
Friendships: New & Old
If you’ve ever felt like you’re alone in your faith, summer camp is the perfect place for you to realize you’re not! Teens will be able to meet and share with hundreds of other campers from around the country while journeying alongside their parish friends throughout the week. Countless friendships will be created and strengthened by the end of camp.
Be Yourself
Being a teenager can be hard. There’s so much pressure to fit in or act and look a certain way. Camp makes it easy to be yourself and let down any walls that were built up during the school year. When you experience the amount of fun, faith, and fellowship offered at a Life Teen summer camp, it’s almost impossible to not leave with a happier heart.
FOR TEENS AGED 13 - 17
Life Teen is a movement within the Roman Catholic Church, which leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. Life Teen Summer Camp is aimed for teens aged 13-17. One of the big focuses at Life Teen is parish-based discipleship. Life Teen want campers to attend and grow in their faith, as well as grow closer with their parish family. The Life Teen Summer Camps Leadership Team plans, prepares, and facilitates the programming, liturgies and activities for each day. Each day teens will experience Mass and other powerful prayer experiences. Key sessions, led by a dynamic speaker, will break open scriptural topics to lead your teens into a more authentic encounter with Christ. Once during the week the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available. All of this alongside an obstacle course, messy games, plenty of free time and much more. Each day campers will enjoy three delicious meals.
SUMMER MISSIONS FOR THOSE 18 AND OVER
For young adults who would like to serve they can join Life Teen’s Summer Missions programme. This provides young adults with the opportunity to serve at a Life Teen summer camp. Young adults can serve in a variety of roles, all with the focus of providing a safe, welcoming, exciting environment for teens to have an incredible summer camp experience while growing in their faith. No matter the gifts and talents of the young adult Life Teen can be a transformational experience where they not only lead teens closer to Christ but their own relationship with Christ becomes stronger.
Summer Staff:
Summer Staff serve primarily as a relational ministers who are trained in the facilitation of small group discussions and team-building activities.
Summer Staff Ministry Description
Service Crew:
The service crew includes an amazing group of young adults that serves primarily behind the scenes as the backbone of summer camp. Through a number of different roles, summer missionaries on service crew are responsible for keeping camp running efficiently.
Hospitality Ministry Role Description
Facilities Team Ministry Description
Logistics:
Those serving on the logistics team will assist in the smooth running of camp primarily by helping in areas of liturgy, sessions happening in the main hall and all outdoor activities.
Pastoral Support Team Ministry Description
Audio Visual Team Ministry Description
FAQ
One of our big focuses at Life Teen Summer Camp is parish-based discipleship. We want campers to come and grow in their faith, as well as grow closer with their parish family. Therefore, we require all campers to come to camp with a parish.
We recommend checking with other parishes in your area to see if they are bringing a group, or just start a group yourself! All you need to come to camp is at least two teens, and at least one chaperone of the same gender as your teens.
We require a gender-specific 1:8 adult to teen ratio (1 male adult for every 8 male campers, 1 female adult for every 8 female campers). A priest or religious who cannot sleep in the bunks with teens cannot count as a chaperone. Each adult must be at least 21 years old and ‘Safe Environment’ trained through your diocese. Each group must have one group leader who will receive all communication from our Camps Team.
Check-in at every summer camp is between 1 PM and 3 PM on Friday, January 14th. Please do not arrive earlier than 1 PM or later than 3:30 PM. The group leader and Core members will have a mandatory meeting with our camp staff at 4 PM and the introduction session for teens will begin at 5 PM.
All parishes will leave camp by 1:30 pm on Tuesday, January 18th
TBC
The Life Teen Summer Camps staff plans, prepares, and facilitates the programming, liturgies, and activities for each day. Each day you will experience daily Mass, opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and other powerful prayer experiences. Our evening sessions, led by a dynamic speaker, will break open scriptural topics to lead your teens into a more authentic encounter with Christ. All of this alongside our exciting ropes courses, an obstacle course, messy games, plenty of free time and much more. Each day campers will enjoy three delicious meals and a night-time snack with their parish. Before your week, the group leader will receive an overview schedule of the week to help you prepare to lead your teens best!
There are currently no funds available to be able to offer scholarships for the summer of 2022. If funds become available applications will be posted in late 2021. TBC
Please feel free to contact the Auckland Catholic Youth Ministry team any time! We are here to help answer any questions and provide as much assistance as possible!
Contact Us
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact the Summer Camps Team at [email protected]
