CYC Ministry Leaders Training

This training equips you with the skills, confidence, and spiritual insight to lead and inspire campers, while also deepening your own walk with Christ. It's an OSCAR requirement that we train all leaders well, so please give this training your best effort! Please download our leaders manual to have this info on hand.

If you can't finish this training in one sitting, be sure to SAVE AND CLOSE. You will recieve an email with a link to return to this form. BOOKMARK or STAR the email.

MODULE 1: BACKGROUND AND THEOLOGY

Background of CYC Waihola

CYC Waihola provides childcare (registered with the Ministry of Social Development for OSCAR subsidies), adventure activities (certified by OutdoorsMark for high-risk activities), food services (registered with MPI and audited under a Food Control Plan), and accommodation. Each service must meet strict government standards and regular audits. As a leader, it's vital you follow camp procedures. This ensures safety, legal compliance, and helps us continue offering life-impacting camps.

We are a legally incorporated society (similar to a church structure) with the purpose of running interdenominational Christian camps in New Zealand to help young people develop Christian fellowship and come to know Jesus. The six main purposes of camp are:

1. To present the Gospel in an age-appropriate way and provide an environment where God may draw campers into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. To build a foundation of Christian living through Scripture, prayer, worship, witness, and service.
3. To demonstrate how real Christians live by modelling Christ’s love, compassion, grace, and forgiveness.
4. To develop character through healthy activities and leadership opportunities.
5. To build personal relationships with campers and support their spiritual needs.
6. To encourage ongoing faith growth after camp by connecting campers with local churches and youth groups.

Camp Theology

This is our understanding of who God is, what we believe, and how we live it out. Our theology helps guide what we teach and practice at camp.

CYC Waihola's Theological Foundation
CYC Waihola is an interdenominational Christian camp, focused on sharing the Gospel and building up young people in their faith. We are united by core biblical truths, even though leaders come from a variety of church backgrounds.

Our message aligns with the Protestant Reformation, summed up as:

• Salvation is by Grace Alone
• Through Faith Alone
• In Christ Alone
• Known through Scripture Alone
• For the Glory of God Alone

You (as a leader) Must:

• Have a living faith in Jesus Christ, and be willing to share it with campers
• Adhere fully to our Code of Conduct (outlined at the end of this training)
• Be safe, be seen, be a servant - at all times
• Fully agree to our Statement of Faith.
• Be willing to complete all paperwork and training before camp begins.
• Not promote denominational doctrines that are not shared by all Christian groups.
• If you cannot agree to these, please notify the camp director or CYC office.
• Follow Jesus and be active in your church
• Respect others and lead by example
• Support the camp director
• Live out a consistent Christian witness during and after camp

How This Plays Out at Camp

• All leaders (including cooks, cabin leaders, and directors) should know Jesus personally, as faith conversations can happen anytime.
• If you are still exploring your faith, check out our resource page or talk to a staff member.
• CYC does not use traditional altar calls during sessions to avoid peer pressure based decisions.
• Campers are welcome to stay after a session or talk one-on-one if they want to know more about Jesus.

Leaders are encouraged to:

• Pray with campers
• Gently steer conversations toward faith
• Read the Bible during free time
• Show joy and Christlike character in everything

"Off-the-Menu" Topics
Some theological topics are not discussed at camp, as they are secondary to the Gospel and can cause division. These include:

• Infant vs. believer’s baptism
• Gender roles in church leadership
• End times interpretations
• Israel and the Church
• The Lord’s Supper practices
• Criticism of other denominations
• Pentecostal practices and views on the Holy Spirit

Instead, focus on the Gospel, unity, and encouraging young people in their walk with God.

Sharing the Gospel

Sharing the Gospel with young people is the main reason we run ministry camps, but it can feel challenging for new leaders. Even if you have a strong faith, you may be unsure how to share it. Some effective ways to communicate the Good News include using simple Gospel messages (from Scripture or allegories), sharing your personal testimony, and using object lessons that point to Jesus.

Simple Gospel Messages

We have our very own Gospel Tracts (7 C's from CYC) available in the first aid room filing cabinet for you to give to campers and walk them through. These will help you share the Gospel with them, and allow your camper to take one home!

When sharing the Gospel with a camper, it's super important to get them to relay it back to you afterwards to see how much they actually received / understand of it. 

1. The Good News of Jesus (screenshot this to refer back to!)

• God made you to know Him, love Him, and live with Him forever.
• God is holy and made us to reflect His goodness.
• Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed.
• We all sin by breaking God's perfect law (Romans 3:23).
• Sin separates us from God and leads to death (Romans 6:23).
• God loves us and sent Jesus to take our punishment.
• Jesus died and rose again, making forgiveness possible.
• To be saved, you must:
  • Repent – turn away from sin and follow God
  • Believe unto the Lord – trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and give your life to Jesus
  • God forgives you, gives you a new heart, and makes you His child.
  • You will live with Him forever if you truly repent and believe (Acts 3:19, Acts 16:31).

 2. F.A.I.T.H Acronym

This is a helpful acronym to explain what faith really is ... "Forsaking All, I Trust Him"

3. Know Your Testimony

Start by praying for God’s guidance, then use this simple outline to write your story:

1. Before Christ – What was your life like before knowing Him?
2. Becoming a Christian – How did you come to faith?
3. God’s Influence – What did God use to draw you in?
4. What You Understood – What did you realise about God and your need for salvation?
5. After Receiving Christ – How has He changed your life?

If a Camper wants to become a Christian..

• Pray before, during, and after camp for salvation opportunities.
• Be ready and sensitive to a camper wanting to follow Jesus—don’t force it.
• Keep it simple – avoid distractions, Christian jargon, and complex theology.
• Explain clearly:
  • What sin is.
  • That salvation means repenting, turning from sin, living for Jesus, not just going to heaven.
  • Let them decide – don’t push or manipulate.
  • Explain the Christian life is a lifelong journey.
  • Encourage Bible reading, sharing with others, and connecting to a church or youth group.
• Tell the camp director so we can follow up.
• Check if they need a Bible—we’ll provide one if needed.

MODULE 2: HEALTH AND SAFETY

Camp Activities & Safety

CYC Waihola is a certified adventure activity provider under Worksafe and OutdoorsMark. This means we must follow strict safety policies for both our ministry camps and guest groups. By law, our zipline is considered an Adventure Activity and must only be run by Paid Staff or Certain qualified Volunteers.

Other Activities that fall under OutdoorsMark and Worksafe Certification Include:

• Archery, ArcheryTag™, Air Rifles
• Horse Riding
• Swimming, Waterslide
• Bubble Balls, Paintball, Mountain Boards
• Assault Course, Team Initiative Course, ABL
• Tramping, Hunting, Campfires, and more

You must be trained and certified to run any high-risk activities. If you're unsure or haven’t been signed off by CYC, don’t run the activity. Attend training days when possible.

Camp directors and leaders must plan carefully. Never start high-risk activities spontaneously (e.g. fire-ball soccer or tree climbing). Low-risk games like tag, soccer, or capture the flag are fine. Download our Big Book of Games to prepare in advance and always have a game ready to lead!

All leaders have the right and responsibility to stop any activity they feel is unsafe - even if they aren't running it. If you do, notify CYC staff immediately. Failure to follow procedures could result in serious consequences for you and camp leadership.

Hygeine at Camp

Camp duties are vital and must always be supervised by a leader. Campers cannot leave their duties without leader permission, and tasks should be shared fairly. Sometimes splitting the group in half is helpful (some do duties before meals, other half after meals etc).

Where to Find Supplies:

• Cleaning Chemicals: Located in bathrooms and kitchens; refill empty bottles at the Main Lodge chemical dosing system in the laundry.
• Tea Towels & Linen: Found in the laundry’s linen cupboards.
• Mops: Located at the rear porch of the Main Lodge and Homestead (use blue mops for bathrooms and green for bunkrooms/main lodge). Blue for ewww! Green for clean!
• Brooms: Located in hallway next to kitchen (Main Lodge) or rear porch for Homestead.
• Rubbish Bags: Available in cleaning cupboards in the Main Lodge and Homestead.
• Vacuum Cleaners: Located in Main Lodge cleaning cupboard or the Homestead master bedroom.

Follow the instructions on the posters of your duty stations. It is your responsibility as a leader to make sure your group does their duties properly. Make sure you are supervising your group well during this time.

Supervision / Ratios

During camp, a staff member or leader will always be within sight of another leader when supervising campers. The supervision ratio is at least 1:10 for indoor/outdoor activities and 1:5 for high-risk activities. All leaders and team members aged 16 and older count as adults in these ratios, while those under 16 count only if an adult is present. Each cabin will have a minimum of two leaders. Leaders will assist campers in settling down at bedtime.

Caring for Sick Campers

1. Isolate the camper in the first aid room / sick bay. Consult the Camp Director for guidance.
2. Assign a person (usually the Camp Nurse) to manage the sick individual and their belongings, ensuring they use PPE (gloves and a face mask).
3. Sanitise all hard surfaces in the sick person's area with alcohol spray after they are isolated, including door handles and light switches.
4. Wash hands and change clothing after handling the sick person, avoiding contact with others until done.
5. Check on the sick person regularly until their caregiver arrives.

The Camp Nurse may contact parents to gain consent to administer medications, and will make a plan with the Camp Director or CYC Staff to contact the caregiver for pickup.

Incident/Accident/Safety Concern Reporting

A safety concern is anything you notice that may pose a risk to perople's health, safety or wellbeing if not addressed.

An incident/accident is any unplanned event that results in harm to a person, damage to property, or a serious safety risk. 

We encourage everyone to complete a report form for any of the above if necessary. Speak to your director or staff if you're wondering whether something needs reported. These are located in the sick bay filing cabinet and must be completed within 24 hours of the incident.

MODULE 2 QUIZ

MODULE 3: CAMPER & LEADER WELLBEING

The Three S's

1. Be SAFE - at all times it is important that the children are physically, emotionally and spiritually safe, and that you as a leader are safe.

2. Be SEEN - leaders must always be visible to others when they are interacting with campers. Always have 3 people wherever you go.

3. Be a SERVANT - as we model Christ, we must remember to always serve others above ourselves.

Code of Conduct

As Ministry Staff, you are expected to reflect Jesus in your words, actions, and attitude — at camp and beyond. Please take these standards seriously.

You must:

• Follow all camp rules and instructions
• Speak respectfully — no crude talk, swearing, or blasphemy
• Show self-control — no anger outbursts
• Never engage in abuse of any kind
• Prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone
• Avoid inappropriate behaviour or relationships
• Stay out of opposite-sex cabins/bathrooms without valid reason
• Never possess drugs, alcohol, occult, or immoral materials
• Avoid any behaviour that harms CYC’s mission

Breaching these standards may result in you being stood down. If you witness a breach, report it to the Camp Director or CYC staff immediately.

Specific Expectations

1. Be Kid-Focused:
Once you arrive at camp, your full attention should be on the campers—not your social life or phone. Phones are for emergencies only.

2. Prioritise Campers Over Socialising:
Build friendships with other leaders, but your main focus is spending time with and caring for campers. Campers often notice when leaders are only chatting toother leaders, and start misbehaving to gain your attention.

3. Leadership Tips:

• Be enthusiastic and approachable
• Listen well and take initiative
• Support Christian values in speech and actions
• Encourage each camper personally
• Build a positive, unified group culture

4. Music & Media:
Use uplifting, preferably Christian music. Don’t play inappropriate songs or rely on YouTube for entertainment. Vet all content first.

5. Clothing Guidelines:
Wear practical, modest clothes suitable for active camp life. Avoid:

• Clothing that inhibits your participation in camp activities
• Revealing or tight clothing (ladies - long t shirts with leggings are highly recommended)
• Inappropriate slogans or alcohol branding
• Anything other than a one-piece swimsuit for ladies and board shorts for guys.

6. Safe Touching:

• Avoid holding hands or sitting campers on your knee unless clearly appropriate and public.
• Never favour one camper over another.
• Never, ever EVER kiss a camper.
• No one may touch an area that would be covered by swimming togs, except in a medical emergency (e.g. using an AED machine)
• No one is permitted to share a bed or shower with anyone else.
• Never be involved with the toileting or showering of a camper.

Behaviour Management and Bullying

 Here is our behaviour management plan for specific, in-depth guidelines. Remember, we have a zero tolerance attitude towards unkind behaviour. If you witness or suspect any unkind behaviour, speak to the director, staff, or bring this up at your leaders meeting.

Mild Misbehaviour - mild disruption, talking out of turn, slang, small distractions, ignoring minor instructions

• Give a reminder (remind the camper of expected behaviour and gently remind them of consequences like time out, no dessert, missing out on a game etc., if the misbehaviour continues). Praise positive behaviour if they improve.

Moderate Misbehaviour - repeated disruption, repeated swearing, defiance, arguing with staff/leaders, breaking rules (e.g. misuse of equipment, disregarding safety guidelines, repeated defiance)

• Step 1: Give a second reminder and explain the consequences for further misbehavour (time out, no dessert, missing out on a game). If it continues, escalate to step 2.
• Step 2: Enforce Consequences - time out (remove camper from activity for 10-15 mins, ensuring they can be seen). Discuss the misbehaviour and ensure they understand rules before coming back into activity. Speak to the director and document this on a behavioural report form found in the sick bay filing cabinet. 
• If defiance continues, or they will NOT listen to you, this escalates to "severe misbehaviour."

Severe Misbehaviour - any purposeful harm caused to themselves or others. Includes bullying, severe defiance to authority, violence, vandalism, or continued disruptive behaviour despite warnings.

• Step 1: Immediately intervene in a calm and assertive manner. Explain that warnings have already been given (if applicable). Bullying, violence or vandalism needs no warning before you intervene.
• Step 2: Consequences - enforce time out and remove camper from the situation (where they can be seen). Speak to the camp director or paid staff during this time to evaluate the next steps. The Director AND Staff may deem it appropriate to call the camper's parents if there is a threat posed to themselves or others. Don't make any contact without consulting staff.
• The director and leaders involved must together conduct a behavioural report found in the sick bay filing cabinet within 24 hours of the incident.

 

Behavioural/Incident Reporting - Remember to document any behavioural issues (behavioural reports) and/or incidents within 24 hours. These are in the sick bay filing cabinet - please hand directly to the director or CYC Staff.

Disclosures

Due to the close relationships we develop with our campers, there is a chance they may disclose unsafe things that are happening / have happened at home or at camp. It is your responsibility to speak to the director or staff about anything a camper discloses to you.

Stay calm - no knee-jerk reactions (gasping, looking shocked). Listen carefully to what they tell you. Reassure them that telling you is the right thing to do. ALWAYS assume the person is telling the truth. Do not ask questions of them or have them tell the story multiple times (especially to different people). 

Immediately (and discreetly), pass this onto the Director or CYC Staff. The Director and CYC Staff will decide next steps, possibly involving Police or Oranga Tamariki. As a leader, your responsibility ends when you report it to staff — do not discuss it with others. Confidentiality is a must.

If the disclosure affects you, please speak to the Director or CYC Staff for support. We want to help! Volunteers are allowed to report concerns directly to Police or Oranga Tamariki and can request confidentiality.

MODULE 3 QUIZ

Fill in the blank - the three S's for safe leadership at camp are: