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2023 Counselor Applications are HERE!We need your help us making this the best summer yet! Apply by March 20th! -
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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 1500 kids will come to camp to rock climb, zip line, canoe, swim, dance and sing, pray and worship.
From June to August, around 175 high school to college-aged young adults volunteer to counsel one 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. With the help of your director, you will run many of Catholic Youth Camp’s daily events. Depending on the week, you may host a talent show, perform in an epic lip sync battle, or lead songs around the campfire. Counselors also help facilitate some of our outdoor activities (archery, canoeing, gaga ball, etc.) and team up with our summer staff to lead a cabin of around twenty campers.
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 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 in our mission with three easy steps:
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Check your calendar now so you can pick a date that works for you when registering to counsel online:
- Saturday April 22nd from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Saturday May 20th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Friday June 2nd from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
The bulk of the application process takes place by registering to counsel online - this step must be completed by March 20th to be considered for this summer! Click here to fill out the online application. You will be asked to answer a few short questions and provide your availability throughout the upcoming summer! From there, we will review your availability and session preferences before contacting you with your official volunteer dates.
Note: 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 a counselor application packet. These can be found attached to your confirmation email OR in the documents section at the bottom of this page - please be sure you are downloading the correct packet as they are divided by applicant age groups!
This packet is your guide to completing VIRTUS Safe Environment Training as well as getting a good word in from your references. For first-timers, counselor application packets are to be mailed to us before your selected training date. Returning counselors must mail us their packet by May 1st at the address below:St. Thomas More Center
Counselor Packet
6177 Panorama Rd.
Panora, IA 50216
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First time counselors are required to participate in a training session prior to volunteering at Catholic Youth Camp. This is a viritual meeting chalked full of everything there is to know about CYC as well as tips and tricks on how to best lead our campers throughout your week at camp.
Select one of the three training dates below to attend*:
1. April 22nd, 2023 (10:00 am - 12:00 pm)
2. May 20th, 2023 (10:00 am - 12:00 pm)
3. June 2nd, 2023 (10:00 am -12:00 pm)
*If you cannot attend any of these trainings, please email [email protected] to discuss options.
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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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