13 July 2014
Supporters provide funds for a busload of young people to attend camp
Posted in Camp life
Thanks to our generous and loyal supporters we were recently able to subsidise 75% of the cost to get 34 young people to one of our camps – Training Week 2014.
Training Week is a camp we have run for nearly 35 years. It aims to see students equipped to live out their faith in their local school, church and community. Training Week is for Christian students in Grades 10 – 12 who would be encouraged and inspired to discover how they can lead, or be a part of, programs and groups in schools and churches.
During the week students received Bible input from Ben Teefy, who is the Campus Pastor at Hope Centre Church, Brisbane Campus. They attended workshops presenting practical tools on running and being a part of programs in their school and how that can impact the local church, and had fun with bush dances, simulation games and meeting other young people from across Queensland.
We spoke with Jo, a Year 11 student from Far North Queensland who was able to attend the camp because of supporters donating funds to cover travel costs.
“It was a great help to me and my family to have the bus trip sponsored. It made it a lot easier for us to afford the trip,” she says.
Luckily Jo likes road trips so she enjoyed it. “I was excited when I heard about the bus to Training Week as I really enjoy road trips. It is a long journey down but we were able to watch movies on the bus so a lot of the time driving was spent watching the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, and Ever After amongst other movies. I also love to read so I spent a lot of my time reading as well.”
“I loved all of Training Week 2014, but if I had to choose my favourite memories they would be playing soccer with a group of kids and leaders, walking to Mapleton, and also just
having great discussions in small groups. I also really enjoyed going to Nambour and tagging the city with TAG (Timely Acts of Generosity),” says Jo.
T.A.G is a positive program for young people to become involved with. It could be as simple as paying for someone’s drink at a café or mowing the next-door neighbours lawn. The challenge is to leave the recipient with a T.A.G. card when you’ve done such a deed and challenge them to continue the GAME of T.A.G.
The bus travelled 1,620 kilometres from Cairns to Mapleton and the journey took 22 hours.
There were 9 students who travelled all the way from Townsville and Cairns, 7 from Mackay, 12 from Rockhampton and 6 from Gladstone.
“I am planning on returning to Training Week 2015 and would highly recommend it to any teenagers,” says Jo.
Thanks again to the supporters who made it possible for Jo, and many other young people, to attend camp.
Here is another story detailing the impact supporters have made through camp sponsorship.
Thanks to your support, camp sponsorship is making a difference in young people’s lives. If you would like to sponsor a camper to be able to go on camp, please call Programs Department on 07 3112 6454 or email info@sucamps.org.au
