FAQS
General
How long has Camp Wojtyla been running?
Camp Wojtyla began our first pilot program in 2007. It has been quite an adventure since! Summer of 2024 will be our EIGHTEENTH season!
How many campers do you typically serve?
We increased our offerings in 2021 and now serve 580 campers and 40 college students. (In previous years, we served around 320 campers each summer, and over 30 college students.)
What is the elevation at camp?
Our base camp is around 7,800 ft above sea level. Backcountry campers travel and sleep at elevations of 8,000-13,500 ft.
Why is Camp Wojtyla different than other camps?
Camp Wojtyla is designed to integrate amazing outdoor adventures with Catholic teaching. We do not separate the adventure from the lesson— the Adventure IS the lesson. For instance, what better way to learn about how we are brothers and sisters in Christ— depending on each other— than working together to reach an intense summit or guiding a raft all together through class III whitewater? We believe that these unique experiences can teach young people about the goodness of God and the life He has for them.
Are you Catholic?
YES! We are Catholic and adhere to every teaching of the Church and remain true to the magisterium. Everything we teach and do at Camp Wojtyla reflects our Catholic identity and faith in Jesus Christ and His Church.
What are your methods of instruction?
At Camp Wojtyla we teach through the adventure. We do not have adventure during the days and then talk about the faith at night. No, the adventure is the first part of that discussion as it is usually the catalyst for understanding the ways of our Lord. For instance, rock climbing requires trust of your belayer, rope and anchor. How is that like your faith? Do you trust God as much you did your belayer? What does the rope represent in your life? What are your anchors? The students begin to make their own connections between rock climbing and the Catholic Faith and their lives back home. They often see that God is in EVERYTHING and that their faith life is their daily life, there is no distinction.
Why are camp Sessions Limited by gender and age?
We believe that males and females are wonderfully and wildly different in ways that benefit from uniquely different programming for each. Similarly, we find that each age group is also best served by programming specific to his or her life stage. Therefore, we are delighted to offer multiple, single gendered, age-appropriate camps for middle school and high school students. We are blessed with the ability to serve our campers in such a tremendous and uniquely tailored way.
How do I know if my child is ready for Camp Wojtyla?
Kids are generally ready for Camp Wojtyla if they are prepared to learn more about their faith, are independent enough to be away from home for a few nights at a time, are able to function in a group environment, and are fit enough for outdoor physical activities. We encourage you to visit our Health and Safety page for more about our behavioral, health and fitness expectations.
May I VISIT OR COMMUNICATE WITH MY CHILD WHILE HE/SHE IS AWAY AT CAMP WOJTYLA?
By phone? No, unfortunately not. We do not allow cell phones or any other type of electronic devices at camp. Each camp session is dedicated to our event programming and building relationships between the campers, staff, God and nature! In addition, Camp is in a very remote area and cellular communications are often not possible. We, of course, can communicate with you if the situation warrants. However, we do not publish our working line as it is important to keep it open for emergencies and administrative purposes. For those who have vital reasons to contact the staff of Camp W; for example, there’s been a death in the family and your child needs to leave early, emergency contact information will be provided before your child comes to Camp. We also encourage you keep in touch with your child during camp week by writing encouraging letters to your child ahead of time, and bringing them with you to check-in. Staff will deliver these letters to campers throughout the week, in a way that fully enhances the home away from home experience that is fostered from Day 1 with us. Lastly, for a “shared” camp experience, all parents and families are invited to attend the closing ceremony on our property on the final day of each session.
Registration
Do you fill up?
Yes, we do! Not only have we filled up in the past, but each year more people hear about us and send their kids from all over the country. We’ve even had a few campers and counselors from abroad!
How do I sign my child up for Camp?
Each fall, we utilize a lottery system to fill our camper spots for the following summer. Families may enter their children in our lottery through our website when it opens in October. We fill all available camper spots based on a random drawing conducted after the lottery window closes. A waitlist is started with the lottery overflow, and additional, hopeful campers-to-be may join that it through our website. We fill any vacant spots from our waitlist, lottery overflow first, then others in the order received. Please do not be discouraged by the waitlist! Inevitably, many spots open up after the initial lottery due to changes to campers’ summer plans and other unforeseen circumstances, and we’d love to see your child on the list when it’s time to fill a vacated spot!
Why do you have a lottery?
Because Camp Wojtyla experiences a high demand each registration season, we made the decision a few years back to populate our summer events through the use of a lottery system. This is done in an effort to keep the process as equitable as possible. Through the use of a lottery, Camp Wojtyla can assure that families who are new to Camp, and those with limited internet resources, have the same opportunity as those families who know the system and have had children attend camp year after year. Please note that due to an increase in the programs we are offering, we now have many more camper spots than in the past, resulting in a higher likelihood of lottery selection!
How do I know if my child got in?
After entering our lottery or waitlist, you will receive an email when your child is being offered a spot at Camp. Lottery results will be emailed around mid-November. If your child has been assigned to a session, the session title and dates will show up next to your child’s name after you login to your registration portal from our website. If you have not heard anything from us by the last week of November, please feel free to email us to check your child’s status. Waitlist offers will be made as soon a spots open up, and families will be given 24-48 hours to consider our offer (depending on the proximity of the session being offered.) Please add registrar@camp-w.com to your contacts so our messages do not get lost to spam!
My child got in! Now What is your Registration Process?
Our registration process is 2-part: the primary online camper registration and up to three secondary registrations (our required medical forms and optional scholarship/airport shuttle requests). Your offer email will contain a link to your child’s primary online camper registration, through which we will collect basic details, such as your child’s personal and family information, camping experience and activity level, transportation and scholarship needs, a camper health history, and waivers and acknowledgements of Camp Wojtyla’s policies and guidelines (requires digital signatures). This primary registration is fairly quick and easy, especially if your child was registered in a previous camp year (allow 20 to 30 minutes for completion). At the end of this registration step, you will make payment arrangements online and submit the form for review by our registrar.
Our fall registrants will have until December 15th to complete the primary camper registration and to make payment arrangements (November 30th if you would like to request a scholarship). If online registration is not fully completed by the end of December, Camp Wojtyla will deregister your child and fill the vacated spot with a child from our waitlist. Later registrants will be given10-14 days to complete the primary camper registration. Regardless of when your child is invited to join us, we encourage you to complete this portion of the registration sooner than later, especially if you plan to request a scholarship. Secondary registrations will be released to you by email only after the registrar has reviewed and accepted your primary online camper registration.
What exactly are secondary registrations?
Secondary registrations include our required medical forms and optional scholarship/transportation requests. Each secondary registration will have a deadline and will be released to you by email only after our registrar has reviewed and accepted your primary registration. We encourage you to watch your inbox for our correspondence to help the registration process flow smoothly.
The medical forms registration consists of a set of forms and requirements that are mandated by the state of Colorado for any child participating in a Colorado overnight summer camp. The forms will require a visit with a medical provider and include the following: a physician’s medical release, written medication permission, and documentation of immunization. Only the camp provided forms will be accepted, and they will require signatures from both medical provider and parent.
Scholarship and/or airport shuttle registrations will be released to you only if these services are requested within your child’s primary online camper registration.
mY CHILD HAS BEEN OFFERED A SPOT AT CAMP, but i can’t find the offer email! wHAT DO i DO NOW?
Parents or guardians of campers with a confirmed spot for our current program year should visit the “Registration Portal” link in the upper right corner of this page to view and complete our online registration information right away. You will use your email address and password to login. Password help is available just below the login fields.
What does the camper Registration fee cover?
The camper fees charged at registration cover about 45% of the actual cost of Camp Wojtyla. From the rising costs of food to the inherently costly reality of land leases and incredible opportunities in the wilderness, Camp Wojtyla is a labor of love and exists only because of the prayers and contributions of the many generous individuals and families who faithfully support this mission.
An initial payment towards registration fees is required to complete our online camper registration process and save a camper spot. Camper fees may be paid as a lump sum, or families may take advantage of our payment installment program. All fees must be paid in full prior to the start of camp; therefore, the number of installments offered depends on how early payments are begun.
Are Registration Fees refundable?
Our program registration begins in November. Fees are refundable through April 15th, minus an incremental administrative fee as follows:
December- $100, January- $150, February- $200, March- $300, April 1st through April 15th- $400.
Because it is harder to fill an open spot the closer we get to summer, program registration fees are completely non-refundable after April 15th. We encourage you to contact us at registrar@camp-w.com regarding any extraordinary circumstances.
What about scholarships?
Thanks to a number of generous supporters, Camp Wojtyla offers partial-tuition scholarships for each program throughout the summer, usually 25-50% of the registration fees owed. Scholarship awards are based on family need and the amount of funding available. We take each family's situation into account and do our very best to offer some scholarship amount to every family that applies. Lottery winners whose families would like to apply for a scholarship must submit their online camper registration by November 30 to receive a scholarship application. Our first and largest round of scholarship applications will be due by Dec. 5th. Award amounts will be based on the number of applicants and need indicated by each family. Later scholarship applications will still be considered. They will be due by the 5th of each month to be reviewed that month. Applications received after the 5th will be reviewed the following month. Award decisions will be based on both family need and the amount remaining in our scholarship fund.
To apply for a scholarship, families must have a child enrolled in Camp Wojtyla for the upcoming summer, must indicate the need for a scholarship when completing the child’s online camper registration, and the online camper registration must be submitted with an initial payment on our registration fees. We do not release our scholarship applications before a camper has registered. This helps us direct much needed funding first to those families who are fully invested in sending their child to camp. To ensure there is no financial risk for camper families, families will have 10 days from the date of their award notification to request a full refund of fees paid if the funds offered are not enough.
Staff
Where do you find your staff?
Every year, we receive around 400 initial applications for our 38-40 available staff positions. People hear about us through friends, internet searches, Catholic publications, conferences, recruitment trips and other sources as well. Most of college students hear about us through our partnership with FOCUS the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Every year we attend their SEEK conference. We work closely with many Camp W alumni and missionaries around the country to help spread the word to well formed Catholic leaders that are looking to grow deeper in their faith and who are wanting to spend their summer in service.
Does your staff undergo a background check?
All of our Camp Wojtyla staff are required to complete a fingerprinting and background check process at the state and national (FBI) level. Though state licensing allows summer camp programs to forgo FBI checks, we go above and beyond the the law to ensure the highest level of safety and excellence possible.
Are your staff certified in the Virtus, Protecting God’s Children, program?
Every staff member at Camp Wojtyla has attended the Virtus, Protecting God’s Children, training session. Our staff are highly trained through this program and other components of our staff training to see the physical and emotional safety our campers as our highest priority.
What is the ratio of campers to staff?
Every week of middle school programming has a maximum of 60 campers while our high school programming has a maximum of 80 campers. Our staff consists of 40 well formed, highly trained individuals ready to serve as role models and mentors. That’s a 2:1 ratio!
Within each small group there are 2-3 counselors for every 8-10 campers. We believe in the power of discipleship, investing in the life of another, sharing not only Christ but our very lives as well (2 Thess 2:2).
Standards and Safety
Are you licensed by the state?
Yes, Camp Wojtyla falls under the state’s Child Care Licensing umbrella with the Department of Human Services. We undergo inspections by the state and we adhere to their rules and regulations. Often our protocols go above and beyond what is required of us by the state.
How do you provide such excellent rock climbing and white water rafting experiences?
We believe that Camp Wojtyla should provide the best of everything. That most certainly includes our climbing company and white water rafting company. Our climbing company, KMAC has been serving the Estes Park area for over 25 years with an incredible reputation of service, safety and experience! Our white water rafting company, The Adventure Company, came to us after MUCH research. We chose them because of their unheard of policy of NO FIRST YEAR RAFT GUIDES. Experience is a wise teacher and the The Adventure Company only hires raft guides with four plus years of experience. Both companies allow us to guide the conversations and teachings within each element while they provide the safest experience possible.
What is the level of training for physical and spiritual formation?
At Camp Wojtyla we train our staff for a total of three weeks— far beyond the industry average of one to two week staff training periods. In addition to the three weeks of training during the summer, a large number of our staff also choose to attend an additional 10 day certification course to become Wilderness First Responders (WFR). All our staff undergo extensive training in: risk management procedures and judgment in the field-- how to mitigate risk and avoid needless dangerous situations altogether through proper planning and foresight; the Processing Pinnacle; how to extract powerful meaning and connections from every experience at Camp Wojtyla; how to teach archery and high line safety and procedures; teamwork and team communication; conflict resolution; the New Evangelization; how to teach the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church; Salvation History and the Gospels; high-alpine terrain travel; rock climbing safety practices; the conscious use of metaphor; map reading and how to teach topographic maps to campers.
What does your safety training look like?
Our staff study the human and environmental components of risks and learn how to mitigate these possible risks through proper planning and sound decision making. We take them through classroom analysis of these topics, studying topics like lightning, weather, high alpine terrain, wildlife, medical scenarios, group dynamics and sound leadership as well as in action through long, rigorous high alpine summits, rock climbing at 10,000 feet for upwards of ten hours and hours of practicing wilderness scenarios.
Travel
WHERE IS CAMP WOJTYLA? HOW DO I GET THERE?
We are located near Jamestown, CO, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, about a 40 minute drive from Boulder, and 90 minutes from Denver. Once your child has a confirmed spot with camp, we will provide you with detailed directions and address information so you may make your travel arrangements.
MY CHILD DOES NOT LIVE IN COLORADO AND MAY BE FLYING IN TO ATTEND CAMP WOJTYLA. CAN YOU ASSIST WITH TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM THE DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (DIA)?
We certainly can! Once you have a confirmed spot at camp, you will have an opportunity to request airport transfer assistance within the online camper registration. Once you’ve made the request, our registrar team will give you access to the “Airport Shuttle” component of our registration process, and additional information regarding our transportation procedures will be provided. Do keep in mind that our shuttles only follow a route to and from the Denver International Airport and Camp Wojtyla check-in sites. We do not deviate for any reason from these routes and we cannot make stops in between. In addition, our shuttle schedule can accommodate ONLY those arriving at Denver International BEFORE 12:30 pm (mountain time) on the first day of camp and departing AFTER 4 pm (mountain time) on the last day of camp.
MY CHILD HAS BEEN DEEMED AN “UNACCOMPANIED MINOR” BY THE AIRLINES AND MUST BE MET BY AN ADULT AT HIS/HER GATE OF ARRIVAL. CAN YOU HELP ME WITH THIS?
Camp Wojtyla is able to retrieve a child from their gate of arrival ONLY when the child has been deemed an “Unaccompanied Minor” by the airline. Because we have limited staff assigned to our airport shuttles, offer an Unaccompanied Minor service on a limited basis and with prior approval only. Approval may be requested by emailing our registrar at registrar@camp-w.com. There is an added fee for the service, and again, it is only offered for those camper whom airline personnel are required to hold at the arrival gate until retrieved by an authorized adult. This is the only situation where Camp Staff will go behind TSA screening during the arrival process. When a child is not considered an “Unaccompanied Minor” by his or her airline, but the parent or guardian is uncomfortable with them making their way through the airport to the designated meeting location, we suggest that a family member or friend accompany the child on their journey. Do know we will provide very explicit instructions (with pictures) on how to locate the designated meeting site within the airport. We’ve had very few issues with kids locating our staff in the past.