June 20th to July 12th, 2025
New York, USA
What is HYC?
Homeward Youth Camp is a three-week summer experience for motivated youth ages 13-18 who have grown up in families committed to Christian missions and evangelism, especially those who wish to pursue an advanced education after finishing high school.
Through a variety of activities, students will make lasting friendships with peers from around the world and be enriched by faith and fellowship. Our classes and workshops will allow them to explore their interests and discover new ones, and go home with new skills in preparation for adulthood.
To learn more about eligibility, please see the Apply page.
Homeward Youth Camp is intensive, fun, and free
There is no tuition for Homeward Youth Camp. Roundtrip airfare to camp, housing, weekday meals, all activities, and local transportation are provided for all campers.
Families may have a few costs to attend, such as:
Medical insurance
Weekend meals
Petty cash, for small things that come up
Program Features
Worship & Teaching
We are a Christian ministry, and Jesus is at the center of all we do. While we are a more fun- and academic-focused camp (and not a Bible camp), our team will frequently hold meetings with worship and teaching. Additionally, we’ll all go to Alabaster Group church services each Sunday morning.
Classes & Workshops
Campers will be able to enroll in classes of their choice, workshops, and hands-on experiences. In the past we’ve had classes on topics such as:
Beautiful Biology
Lego Robotics
Intro to Computer Programming
Exercise Physiology and Nutrition
Writing the College Admissions Essay
Basic Music Theory
Activities
Every week and over weekends, there will be fun activities for campers to get to know one another. This includes:
Team building exercises
Group challenges and puzzles
Sports and physical activities
Exciting trips and outings
Venue
Camp will be held at a university campus venue in New York City. Every camper will have housing on campus, very close walking distance from everything at camp.
Meals are served on-campus, except during camp outings when we will be eating off-campus.
There will also be athletic facilities for campers to use in their free time.
A typical weekday
Breakfast
Morning classes
Lunch
Afternoon classes
Sports, activities, and free time
Dinner
Evening worship or Bible study & Activities
Evening check-in
While the schedule will differ slightly from day to day, a day at Homeward Youth Camp is structured to provide a balance of spiritual, educational, and fun activities with many opportunities to connect with others of similar age and background. Campers choose what classes to go to and how much you want to learn each day. Multiple classes on different subjects will be offered, and classes will run throughout the day.
Schedule
On the weekends
Church service in NYC, free time, and a variety of fun outings
Who comes to Homeward Youth Camp?
Our Campers
Our campers will represent families engaged in Christian missions all around the world. Most of our campers are and have been in and around Christian missions their entire lives. Most will have grown up with parents who were missionaries throughout their entire childhood and may know very little outside of Christian ministry. Many campers will have never spent significant time in their native country.
However, their experiences in missions likely vary drastically. Some may have fallen in love with missions and plan to spend their entire lives reaching the lost - perhaps even working alongside their parents. Others, while respectful and appreciative of Christian ministry, are more inclined to live in their native country or elsewhere, while supporting missions in other ways or ministering to their local community. Lastly, some may arrive at Camp frustrated by or disillusioned by their experience in ministry.
Ministry is undeniably demanding and often sacrifices are unavoidable. Our campers will have experienced this very personally and may have come to different conclusions. At Camp, they will be surrounded by others of like background, and that is one of Homeward Youth Camp’s greatest assets.
We do not require or expect that all campers arrive with a dynamic relationship with God. While we require that each camper come from a family deeply rooted in Christian ministry, there is no faith requirement for the campers themselves. No matter how our campers hope to spend their early adulthood, we would like to help prepare them. We believe that our God honors what our campers have forfeited or endured for the sake of the kingdom.
Our Staff
Our staff are members of Alabaster Group who are working professionals or students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees at distinguished universities in the US. Most of our staff hold degrees in and work in the field which they will be teaching. Each of our staff has devoted their lives to living for Jesus, and our members staffing the camp all do so at their own expense and as a volunteer.