OUR APPROACH

We believe that camping and experiential education provides students with opportunities for exploration of self and growth in confidence that is difficult to replicate in a classroom environment. As well as nurturing communication and team building skills, our activities encourage children to develop the ability to think creatively and analytically by providing challenging, interactive and engaging outdoor learning experiences.

Who Are We?

At CYC, we acknowledge God as the Creator of all things. Our foundation lies in the understanding that He has goals that are in alignment with His nature and perfect character. Subsequently, our mission and mindset move out from this centre as we place God and His vision as the measure of all that we do.

CYC is therefore committed to sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ and is passionate about collaborating with churches, youth groups, schools and community organisations to empower and equip young people in making positive choices, based on the characteristics and mindfulness of Christ. We believe that it is fundamental to influence and nurture a spirit of encouragement, humility, respect, generosity and community mindedness amongst our guests.

We believe the Bible as originally given by God is divinely inspired, infallible, and entirely trustworthy, and is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct, from which we can know that:

  1. Creation: God created all things, making man and woman in His own image and for relationship with Him.
  2. Sin: Sin entered into the world through human disobedience following the rebellion of Satan against God.
  3. Christ: The Son, Christ Jesus, was born of a virgin and lived as a sinless man. Out of the abundance of God’s love the Father gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die to save all people from sin. Christ rose from the grave defeating the power of sin.
  4. Salvation: The death and resurrection of Christ brings salvation by grace through faith to those who repent, seek forgiveness, and believe in Him.
  5. Spirit: The Holy Spirit, following Jesus’ return to His Father in heaven, lives within those who have salvation as a comforter and guide; guaranteeing their eternal hope.
  1. Life: Those who trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour are called to live a transformed life and as such we have the responsibility to:
    • Encourage other Christians through meeting together for worship and fellowship;
    • Uphold moral directives and ethical values contained in the Bible as expressed within the context of their personal life, their marriage life (the covenantal relationship of one man and one woman), and their relationships with others;
    • Share the good news to all the world;
    • Be active in expressing God’s love through social justice.
  2. Eternity: Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God. Those who have received salvation have eternal life as joint heirs with Christ. Those who do not believe in Christ are separated from God for eternity.
  3. Return and New Creation: Christ will return as Lord to the earth and everyone will see him. There will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Our Wellbeing Program

Camping and in particular school camps, for many years have promoted the activities and hard skills gained as a result of participating in said activities.  THRIVE promotes experiences which focus not so much on achieving the hard skills necessary to “surf a wave” or “hike a mountain” but deliver activities in such a way that create space for individuals to develop the soft skills required to thrive.  

The THRIVE ethos is best summarised by the phrase, “If it is to be, it is up to me”. This gets to the heart of the CYC camping experience. The THRIVE program will not spoon-feed students with exhaustive instruction and low behavioural expectations but raises the bar so as to provide a real-life opportunity for individuals to grow and learn by becoming more honest, embracing vulnerability, and adopting an attitude of personal responsibility. In fact, honesty, vulnerability, and personal responsibility are the three underpinning concepts that lay the foundation for what we here at CYC call our Five Pillars of a Thriving Community. Those pillars are: gratitude, meaningful relationships, generosity, spiritual awareness, and anti-fragility. Each of these aforementioned ‘pillars’ of a thriving community, as depicted in the infographic above, emanate from the thriving individuals who make up a thriving community. Each day the CYC role model leaders will facilitate an experience that is specifically designed to present students and teachers alike with an opportunity to grow and potentially THRIVE.