Meet Our Team
Our Staff
Our exclusively Christian leaders are each highly trained, qualified, and experienced not just in outdoor skills but also in transforming those teachable moments into life-shaping, faith-developing experiences. Christian instructors mean a biblical Christian worldview is a fully integrated part of the program, supporting the beliefs and values of your school community.
Spotlight Profile:
Chantel Fletcher
How long have you been part of the Youthworks COE team?
This is my fourth year being a part of Youthworks COE.
Is there a Bible verse that has had a great impact on you?
A Bible verse that has had a great impact on my life is Isaiah 41:10.
What do you love about your role?
There are so many things I love about my role. I love being outside in the Lord’s creation, I love spending time with kids and helping them understand how incredible our Lord is. I love learning new things every day, and I really love and appreciate working alongside so many wonderful Christian brothers and sisters who have the same goals – people who have a desire to spur each other on and make the Lord known.
Join Our Team
Outdoor Ministry Leader
Youthworks is seeking Outdoor Ministry Leaders to join our team. Youthworks Christian Outdoor Education leads the way in professional Christian Outdoor Education. Through the practice of temporary community, the passionate, enthusiastic and highly skilled team use outdoor learning experiences to bring together bible-based discipleship and outdoor education in a unique and powerful way. The team is made up of a talented bunch of people who love Jesus, seek adventure in the outdoors and believe that not all lessons are best taught in the classroom. They are just as passionate about Christian ministry to young people as they are about adventurous experiences in God’s creation.
If you have experience and qualifications in Outdoor recreation and are keen to facilitate quality Christian Outdoor Education programs that combine the guiding of outdoor recreation activities with the Word ministry skills of evangelism, teaching and discipleship then apply now. Read more details in the Position Description.
To apply, please send through your resume and fill in the Application Form.
For general enquiries please email humanresources@youthworks.net.
Christian Outdoor Education Traineeship
Each year, Youthworks ministers to around 20,000 youth and children with the gospel. Would you love to share the word of God with thousands of young people each year? Would you love to serve by being active and energetic in the great outdoors? Would you love to be part of a close team of dynamic and passionate evangelists? Then you’ll love the Youthworks Christian Outdoor Education Traineeship!
Trainees undertake a paid 18 month program designed to develop your character, conviction and competence in Christian ministry, under the leadership of seasoned youth and children’s ministers. Trainees also receive training towards a nationally-recognised Certificate III in Outdoor Leadership, providing the necessary skills for this special ministry platform. After completion of your traineeship, you will be considered for a permanent position on the Christian Outdoor Education staff, with a range of professional development options.
Vision, Mission & Values
History
The History Of Youthworks Conference Centres
Youthworks has a proud history of camping ministry that now stretches back over 70 years, to when we began as the Anglican Youth Department during WWII. Concerned at what the young people of Australia would come back to after the war, Archbishop Howard Mowll appointed the Rev Graham Delbridge as the first ever Chaplain for Youth in 1942.
Laying the Foundations
The challenge for Graham was enormous, yet under God, he laid the foundations that would forever change the landscape of youth ministry in Sydney. Sites were purchased along the Port Hacking River; ‘Le Meuse’, used for youth camps, was renamed Chaldercot in 1944, while Rathane served for welfare and spiritual work with returned service men and women, until it too was handed over for youth work in 1946.
Following Graham Delbridge’s resignation in 1952, and Rev Arthur Dean’s four-year tenure as Director, Archbishop Mowll appointed Rev Neville Bathgate as Director of the Youth Department in 1956. Neville had travelled extensively throughout North America, and was greatly impressed by Camp Pioneer in Canada. He resolved to establish a similar program on the sites at Port Hacking, and so the hugely popular ‘Camp Howard’ was born in 1957, with the first camps being run by Neville and Deaconess Joan Ash at Chaldercot. Under Neville’s leadership, and later Directors, the Youth Department saw significant expansion of its sites and camping ministry.
In 1958, Blue Gum Lodge in the Blue Mountains was purchased, and the construction of Deer Park was also begun by volunteer labour, opening 18 months later. The Southern Cross Ski Chalet was added in 1963, while Telford was acquired in 1969. Camira Conference Centre at Gerroa was also added later.
Expansion of Programs
Under Director Terry Dein in the 1970’s, the first disability, country and mid-week school camps were introduced. Together with new off-site camps,such as ‘Challenge’ for troubled, at-risk youth, the new campsites allowed for thousands more young people to visit for church camps, leadership training and weekend retreats, with many encountering Christ for the first time.
When John Cross arrived as Director in 1981, he brought a renewed focus on maximising the weekday ministry potential of the sites. Previously, the boat sheds and other resources remained locked during the week, and Camp Howard existed only during the holidays. In 1983, however, after much discussion and prayer, the sheds were opened for mid-week groups, and Howard Education Camps (now known as Horizon) commenced in 1984, with Trinity Grammar and SCEGGS Redlands the very first schools.
A New Era
By the mid-90’s, there was a growing conviction that the future lay in amalgamating the Anglican Youth Department and the Anglican Education Commission (AEC), combining their resources for more effective ministry to young people across the diocese. From this merger, Youthworks was born in 1997, which has grown to incorporate publishing and training resources, as well as camping ministry.
In 2002 we opened our third major centre along the Shoalhaven River, with two venues: Waterslea and Koloona. Further building projects at the Port Hacking sites supported the development of new programs and camps, such as HSC Study Camps, the Outdoor Ministry Conference, WROK! and Outdoor Ministry Traineeships.
Today, over 43,000 guests stay annually at Youthworks sites and the vast majority of these are students and young people. Our heart is to provide them with experiences of God’s creation within a caring community that will see their lives enriched with a fresh focus and direction for life.