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CYC 2025
Counselor Applications
are OPEN!!Click the link below to apply to spend
a week (or more!) at Catholic Youth Camp as one of our volunteers! -
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Counseling at CYC
Catholic Youth Camp is a faith driven and fun filled summer camp offered to youth of all backgrounds. CYC is hosted at the St. Thomas More Center and located in the Diocese of Des Moines in Panora, Iowa. For eleven amazing individual weeks, over 1600 kids will come to camp to rock climb, zip line, canoe, swim, dance, sing, pray, and worship.
From June to August, around 150 high school to college-aged young adults volunteer to counsel for a week at CYC. Our counselors love their faith and share a desire to serve our campers. They also happen to be the goofiest people we know, enjoy spontaneous dance parties, and are not afraid to step outside their comfort zone.
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Role Description
Each week, Counselors are responsible for a lot of the FUN that happens at CYC. Counselors help run many of Catholic Youth Camp’s daily events. Depending on the week you may host a talent show, put on an archery competition, or lead songs around the campfire. Counselors also help facilitate some of our outdoor activities, including: archery, our confidence course, and gaga ball! You'll be teamed up with our summer staff to lead a cabin of around twenty campers as they encounter Christ throughout the week!
Counselors get to invest in our campers by building relationships within their cabins and small groups. You must work hard to learn names and faces, be available to campers at any hour by sleeping in the cabins, and be willing to pitch in on things like dish team and end of camp cleaning. Because counseling will require full focus and energy, cell phones and other electronics will generally not be allowed during the week. Aside from 2-3 evening socials, this is a fast paced, high energy, 24/7 volunteer experience.
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By uniting our Catholic faith and fun, it is our mission to serve youth and young adults as they become joyfilled missionary disciples of Christ.
It is essential that our counselors are united in this effort through:
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Discipleship
Counselors should be exemplars of true servant leadership and must be capable of representing Church teachings.
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Maturity
Counselors must have the ability to cope with stress and cooperate well with others while attending to their personal needs.
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Diligence
Counselors should have the ability to follow directions, complete tasks efficiently, as well as demonstrate a willingness to learn.
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Help us with our mission with these three easy steps!
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The bulk of the application process for counseling at CYC takes place by registering to counsel online. The online application can be found here! You will be asked to answer a few short questions and provide your availability throughout the upcoming summer! Applications must be submitted by March 24th, 2025 to be guaranteed a spot on a week.
Note: You must be 16 years old by May 1st, 2025 to counsel at CYC 2025. All applicants under the age of 18 must have their parent or guardian present to review and sign our Waivers and Agreements section!
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Alongside online registration, each CYC volunteer is required to complete an online VIRTUS training and Background Screening Application. The instructions for how to complete these can be found attached to your confirmation email OR in the documents section at the bottom of this page once applications open.
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First-time counselors are required to participate in a training session prior to volunteering for at Catholic Youth Camp. This is a virtual meeting full of everything there is to know about CYC, as well as some tips and tricks on how to best lead our campers throughout your week at camp! There will be three dates available throughout the spring of 2025, and you only need to attend one:
- Saturday, April 5th, 2025 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Saturday, April 26th, 2025 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Saturday, May 31st, 2025 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
If you cannot attend any of these dates, please email [email protected] so we can help find an alternative way for you to complete this important training!
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We truly appreciate your interest in serving our youth and are here to help every step of the way!
If you have any questions about counseling at CYC, please contact our office at 515-309-1936 or [email protected]
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