Summer Missions
(Following Him shouldn’t be either.)
12 weeks of life-changing adventure at Catholic Youth Summer Camp
This summer could change your life.
Saying yes to a summer of mission at Damascus means saying yes to:
- An on-fire community pursuing mission together
- In-depth formation and equipping
- Cultivating a deeper life of prayer and intimacy with God
- Growing your personal gifts and leadership
- Working hard and letting God work through you to change the lives of thousands of campers
- Being launched into your next mission
Is God calling you to a summer of transformation and adventure?
Ways to Serve
Whether in a classic summer camp role or a more specialized opportunity, each staff offers a unique experience of mission during the summer. Check out the staffs below to learn more.
Classic Staffs
Counseling Staff
Lead your group of campers throughout the day to activities, lake time, night programming, and facilitating small group discussions. Counseling Staff members also spend 1-2 weeks of service in the kitchen.
Pastoral skills, discipleship, prayer ministry
Program Staff
Lead an activity; lifeguarding; act in skits and dramas; crowd leadership; teach campers lectio divina; help with serving meals and anywhere hands are needed.
Crowd leadership, drama/skit ministry, lifeguarding, prayer ministry
Kitchen Staff
Work alongside other kitchen staff and a rotating cast of counseling staff members for the cooking and serving of meals, maintaining a welcoming and clean kitchen, and interceding for the campers and staff.
Foodsafe service, hospitality, cooking.
Kitchen staff is open to incoming seniors 17+.
Service Staff
Most days on Service Staff include cleaning cabins & facilities; maintaining the grounds; interceding for campers through daily holy hour and communal intercession; running the snack shack; teaching campers lectio divina.
Hospitality, maintenance and cleaning, intercession.
Service staff is open to incoming seniors 17+.
Specialized Staffs
Media Staff
Capture photos and videos of campers’ experience; create and edit video montages each week; share daily photos with parents; create and share content on social media; teach campers lectio divina in prayer lab.
Media staff members should have prior experience and demonstrable skill with photography, videography, and/or graphic design. Coaching in techniques and instruction in the use of specific softwares will be provided as necessary.
Worship Staff
Prepare set lists, practice, and lead worship for night sessions and times of staff intercession. May participate or assist the Program Staff throughout the day.
Worship Staff members should have prior experience and demonstrable skill with musicianship and leading worship. Further coaching will be provided.
Production Staff
Work with speakers, emcees, priests, program staff, and worship staff to prepare, monitor and mix the audio/visual environment throughout each element of the day.
Production Staff members should have some prior experience and demonstrable skill with A/V technical production, and an aptitude for learning. Coaching and instruction in specific technical processes and onsite systems will be provided.
Medical Staff
Prepare and distribute medications, clean cuts and scrapes, attend to campers and staff in the event of illness
Medical Staff is ideal for individuals involved in nursing, nursing studies, pre-medical studies, or medical studies.
Note: Nurses who are have already obtained their license are invited to serve alongside medical staff missionaries in a different capacity, as outlined here.
How do I get there?
Apply
Submit your application between August 15 - February 15.
Interview
Continue your discernment by attending an on-site or web-based interview retreat in the month you submit your application.
Commit
Offers will be extended within 2 weeks of your interview. Location assignments will be determined by early March.
Invite
Get more people involved through Mission Support Raising
Train
Arrive in late May for 2 weeks of training and formation at the EQUIP Conference
Serve
Live the adventure of 9 consecutive weeks of camp from early June into early August.
Deploy
Launch into the fall ready to take on your next mission!
Mission Support Raising
Your mission begins before campers even arrive. Every missionary at CYSC engages in Mission Support Raising: inviting others to join the mission prayerfully and financially so you can have your needs provided for and be fully available to mission.
Specific, hands-on training will be provided in order to help you attain your goal, which you will determine according to your circumstances within the range set by Damascus.
Some of the amount raised will cover the cost of food and lodging, after which missionaries receive 100% of everything they raise after taxes up to their limit. Missionaries can raise between $1500 and $8500 in support. This stipend will be disbursed in 5 installments beginning June 15 and concluding August 15.
Questions? Email msr@damascus.net!
Requirements
Age Requirement
Applicants should have graduated high school prior to serving at CYSC, with the exception of incoming seniors in high school who may serve on Service Staff or Kitchen Staff.
Those who will be 18 or older during their service with CYSC must complete the following requirements prior to the start of camp. Opportunities for both will be offered during training at the beginning of the summer, and we strongly recommend taking advantage of the on-site opportunities. Once accepted, if you have already completed one or both of these requirements or have questions about the process, please email mission@damascus.net.
1. Background Check
Those who have lived in Ohio for the last five (5) years consecutively must obtain an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI) background check.
Those who have resided outside of Ohio in the last five (5) years must obtain BOTH an Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification (BCI) AND a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background check.
2. Protecting God’s Children for Adults (PGC) / Virtus training session.
All missionaries must complete a VIRTUS Protecting God's Children Training and have a record on file that is either documented with the diocese of Columbus or can be transferred to the diocese of Columbus.
3. Selection.com online background check
All missionaries who have created a VIRTUS account on or after January 1, 2024 must complete an online background check through selection.com. This should be available to complete and should be completed in its entirety immediately when you create your new VIRTUS account online.
Questions?
We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with us at mission@damascus.net