Dear Staff, 

Welcome back to Day Zero, your monthly camping newsletter! Here, we’ll keep you in the loop on all things camping. Once a month, we’ll share helpful reminders, offer tips and resources, and more, helping you keep track of logistics so you can focus on ministering to kids.

Now, as we wrap up this summer and begin preparing for next summer, here’s what you need to know about camp this month: 

Summer 2027 Camp Spots — What's Next?

Thanks for requesting your summer 2027 camp spots. Currently, regions, divisions, and camps are working through your requests to sort out where areas will camp. You will find out your area’s camp spots on October 21, so watch for your trips in YL Connect and for your camp contract(s).   

Camps will send your initial reservation (IR) contract to your area’s camping responsible party through DocuSign. Want to see who your camping responsible party is? In YL Connect, go to your mission unit home page, and on the mission unit related tab you’ll see who is listed for your area. See how. If you want to change who receives your area’s camp IR contracts, reach out to your region and they can make a change. 

Summer Registration Pages:   

Just as we have in previous years, Camping will create your 2027 summer camp trip registration pages in YL Connect for you. Be sure to wait for these registration pages — don't create your own! After October 21, you’ll be able to edit and publish that page. Here’s how. 

Need help getting your registration page set up? All you need to do is fill out this concierge form. Include your camp trip details, and the Connections Team will build the page for you within five business days.

To view the full summer 2027 timeline, check out the Staff Resources Camping Page!  

Make Your Game Plan for Travel

As you make plans for getting to and from camp (both for school-season camping and summer 2027), make sure you know all the ins and outs of Young Life’s transportation guidelines. Check out:

WyldLife: Create a Seven-Year Camping Vision

Imagine the sixth graders you’ll meet this year. They’ll get to experience WyldLife for the first time — the fun, friends, and the opportunity to know Jesus. Some of them might go to camp next summer, where they’ll experience the same things away from the distractions of everyday life. Now imagine those sixth graders as graduating seniors. How will they describe their camping experience in WyldLife and Young Life? Will they say camp was the same summer after summer? Or will they say they stopped going to camp because they’d already “been there, done that?”

If we want camp to be an effective tool for introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them grow in their faith, we need to think strategically about a kid’s potential seven-year camp journey.  

Two veteran WyldLife staff share their camp strategies …

Summer Staff Applications and Work Crew Recommendations are Open!  

Last summer, we had over 3,760 work crew and summer staff at camp! The summer staff application and work crew recommendation are now open for 2027. 

For summer staff, share the summer staff website with potential candidates and watch for recommendation requests in your email.   

For work crew, check out this Staff Resources page to learn how to submit a work crew recommendation. Be sure to also check out the updated work crew timeline for summer 2027.

Adult Guest Program 

As you are dreaming of summer camping in 2027, have you considered bringing adult guests to camp? 

The adult guest program is designed to introduce adults to the mission of Young Life and give them a firsthand experience of camp. Adult guests come for many different reasons. Some are current leaders who can strengthen a local area, such as committee members. Others are community members, like coaches or business leaders. Many are potential supporters who may become financially invested in the ministry. Time and again, the adult guest program helps move people from simply being interested in Young Life to becoming deeply committed to our mission.

While at camp, adult guests are cared for by a host who serves as their “cabin leader.” If you have an individual or couple who are gifted in hospitality and understand the ministry, consider having them apply to be an adult guest host. 

Applications for both adult guests and adult guest hosts open September 26. For application links, pricing, and additional details, check out this page on Staff Resources.

School-Season Camp Trips: Marketing Tips and Weekend Discipleship Resources

School-season camping offers additional opportunities for kids to experience the fun of camp while introducing them to Jesus. 

Here are some tools to help make planning easier, including marketing tips to make sure everyone knows about your weekend trip and how to sign up. 

Are you serving on a fall weekend? We have plug and play work crew devotionals and Spotify playlists from camp that will help you save time when planning for your weekend camp!

Health and Consent Forms for School-Season Camping

Every individual attending a Young Life camping event must submit a completed Health and Consent Form for each event. While the school-season health form requires less information than summer forms, the process for sending, receiving, and reporting continues to be available in YL Connect on the Health Form tab, and now includes a Spanish option. See the Health and Consent Form page on Staff Resources for additional information.   

Thank you for investing in kids year-round, so they can meet Jesus and go deeper in their faith. 

View previous issues and all our camping resources on Staff Resources.       

FYI – This newsletter is sent to all current U.S. Field staff, camp managers, and camping admin managers. Do you know of a volunteer who would like to be added to this communication? Just have them sign up, and we’ll be sure include them.