What age group may participate in PASSPORT Youth Camps? Who qualifies as a chaperone?
Youth eligible for PASSPORT must have completed 6th grade through 12th grade. Adults must be at least 20 years of age. Your group’s adult to camper ratio MUST be a minimum of one adult for every six campers (adult and campers of the same gender). Because the adults who come as chaperones are an integral part of the PASSPORT session, children and babies are not allowed. Children younger who have completed 3rd through 6th grade are invited to attend one of our PASSPORTkids! camps.
When does camp begin and end?
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‣Registration is 3:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m. on Opening Day (Sunday or Monday depending on location).
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‣The first meal served on Opening Day is supper.
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‣Opening Celebration is the first program event at 7:00 pm on Opening Day.
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‣The last meal served on Day 5 (Friday or Saturday depending on the location) is Breakfast.
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‣Cleaning, Packing and Loading Luggage on Day 5 ends by 9:00 am, after which groups may depart.
Will campers be doing mission projects? What type of work?
Campers come to camp for many reasons, but what many miss the most when camp is over is their time meeting new friends and working together at the mission project sites. At each of our camp locations, there are various types of work to be done. Your students might have the opportunity to work in painting, yard work, construction, or working with others of all ages including children and senior adults.
Each morning following Bible Study, campers will go to a different mission project site. This means your students will be working at different locations and will experience multiple mission projects in one week!
How will adults be involved?
Adult chaperones’ primary functions will be to supervise and care for their church group’s campers at night and during meals and to build meaningful relationships with campers.
Adult chaperones will be asked to sign up for various volunteer positions while at camp. During programmed activities, they will assist the staff in a variety of ways. These will include: helping lead a game at the Rec Party, leading and supervising a mission site group each day, and spend time growing in their relationships with youth.
Adults will also help the Camp Pastor in facilitating the campers’ Bible Study time.
Will campers have free time?
The staff will offer afternoon Free Time Activities on the first two days of camp. There will be opportunities to play board games, talk to friends, or participate in an organized sport like basketball or football. After a long day on a missions site, many campers choose to use this two hour period to take a nap and rest!
How much time do I have with my youth during Free Time on Day 3?
Following mission projects on Day 3, groups are given the opportunity to reconnect. Your group spends much of the camp experience divided into different groups for Mission Project, and while this is done with intentionality to build community over the entire camp, it is also important for your group to build community internally as well. Therefore, on the third full day of camp, groups will be given free time from 5:00pm to 11:00 pm to go off campus and do an activity of their choosing. Dinner will be on your own.
What will worship be like?
Worship is designed specifically for 7th – 12th graders. It is multi-sensory and creative. It includes elements of liturgical and contemporary worship forms, but is also unique. The pastor preaches an age-appropriate sermon. Passport has developed a strong tradition of creativity, plenty of camper involvement and offering a fresh perspective. Your students will be invited to participate in worship in several ways including prayers, scripture reading, testimony, video question of the day, and other kinds of on stage leadership.
At intentional moments throughout the week during worship, the Pastor will offer a challenge to the youth. The challenge is not manipulative in any way and could lead to a variety of responses. Those responses occur within the context of the church group. Church Group Leaders will receive written material in advance to help them prepare to lead these gatherings.
Can you accommodate a camper with special needs?
Yes, we invite all to attend and participate in a Passport camp experience! If you need special accommodations or have a dietary request, please contact the Passport office prior to your camp arrival so that we might best prepare for your stay.
Is our camp affiliated with a particular denomination?
Passport, Inc., is an ecumenical organization and seeks to provide ecumenical camping experiences. It is our hope that each denomination represented will find something familiar within the worship experiences. Passport has many partnerships including:
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
