Help disadvantaged children have a holiday
at the St John Bosco Children's Camp
Thank you for your interest in helping at Camp 2010. You'll find all the information you'll need on this page along with the helper application form which is available to download further down.
Helping at Bosco
If you have helped before, welcome back! We hope 2010 will be another excellent summer.
For first time helpers, we look forward to meeting you. The camp is located near Colchester, Essex, and transport is provided from central London, Stratford and Harold Wood/Gidea Park.
The St John Bosco camp is a week packed with activities. The campsite is 40 acres and we offer football, basketball, cricket, arts and crafts, rounders, netball, canoeing, talent show, fishing, archery, swimming, table tennis, table football, and much, much more.
From the moment the children wake up, until they go to sleep, we hope that there is always something for them to do.
This takes a lot of energy: we also prepare all the meals for the children and helpers, and so there are times in the kitchen, and times washing up.
The atmosphere is superb - everyone gets involved together, and new people are always paired up with experienced helpers.
We work with around 140 children each week: three weeks with boys aged 8-13, and a week with girls aged 9-13. For first time helpers, we encourage male helpers to apply for the boys' camp, and females for the girls' camp.
The camp is inspired by the life and work of St John Bosco and St Vincent. John Bosco was an Italian priest who worked with young people who were orphans or who had left difficult family situations and ended up on the streets.
John Bosco believed that there was no such thing as a bad child, only bad circumstances, and he worked hard to give children a place to play, and to learn to trust again.
St Vincent also sought to provide opportunities for those who were not well off, and both saints did this with their Christian faith at the centre of their lives.
In the same spirit, we welcome lots of children to the St John Bosco camp who will not have any other summer holiday. Sometimes this is due to simple financial reasons. For other children it may be that they are in difficult family circumstances where both they and their families need extra support and help.
In all cases we try to create an environment where they are respected and encouraged, so that they discover new talents in themselves.
Just like the children, every helper is different. We all need patience and good humour, but everyone has gifts to bring - and the different children need helpers who are sporty, helpers who are gentle, helpers who are energetic, helpers who are good listeners, etc., etc.
Whatever your character and strengths, the camp needs you.
Interested? Then download an application form and return it a.s.a.p. to the address indicated on the form.
Every extra helper means we can look after more children. Please do not hesitate to email James, Fr Dominic or Nicola (Girls' Camp) if you have any questions or alternatively call them on 01708 341936 (James), 01268 553425 (Fr Dominic) or 07902 315760 (Nicola).
FORMS MUST BE RETURNED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to help us with booking places for the children on Camp - we cannot book the children without confirmed helpers.
You can help us help 600 children have a holiday they will never forget... at the St John Bosco Children's Camp.
THANK YOU - SEE YOU AT CAMP!
Download: Bosco Application Form »
N.B. The Bosco camp is a SVP project supported by the BCYS however this event is not run by the BCYS.