For young people and families
Anyone aged 13 to 17 can apply, and you do not need an existing connection to Rotary. The whole process is one online form, and your place is confirmed once you have applied.
The process
Participants must be aged 13 to 17 at the time of the camp. RYPEN is open to any young person living anywhere across District 9660, roughly Morisset in the south to Woolgoolga in the north and west to the state borders, whether or not their family has anything to do with Rotary.
Where you live does not decide which camp you attend. North and South are named for the venue, not a catchment, so you may apply for whichever camp suits your family.
Each camp has a set fee, listed on its camp page. That fee can be covered by a Rotary club, by a business sponsor, by the participant's family, or shared between them.
Many participants are sponsored by their local Rotary club. If you would like a club to consider sponsoring you and you are not already in touch with one, email rypen@rotary9660.org.au and we will point you to your nearest club.
Each camp has its own form, linked from the camp page. Set aside about fifteen minutes and have this ready before you start:
Your place is confirmed once you have applied. We will only contact you if there is a problem with the application, so no news is good news.
Participants are sent the arrival and pick-up details and what to bring, ahead of the weekend.
If the participant will travel to or from camp with a Rotary volunteer rather than their own family, a transport consent form needs to be completed as well.
RYPEN is a growth opportunity, not a behaviour intervention, and participants come because of their potential rather than their problems. The volunteer team leads groups across three intense days, so the camp cannot provide one-to-one care or support participants who need constant individual supervision or clinical support to manage a residential setting.
If you are not sure whether it suits a particular young person, email rypen@rotary9660.org.au before they apply.
Packing
A general guide for any RYPEN camp. The confirmed list for your camp comes with your pre-camp pack, and that one wins if the two ever differ.
Sleeping bag or bedding, a pillow, a towel, and your usual toiletries.
Enough for three days, including clothes you do not mind getting dirty. Warm layers and a rain jacket, because camps run in June and October and it gets cold at night. Closed-in shoes, plus a second pair in case the first pair gets wet.
Hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. Most of the weekend involves being outside and moving.
Any medication in its original labelled packaging, matching what you listed on the application form, so the camp team can manage it safely.
Common questions
The fee is set for each camp and covers the residential weekend. It is listed on the camp page. Families arrange their own travel to and from the camp unless other arrangements are made.
Yes. The form asks how the place is being paid for, and a family covering the cost themselves is a valid answer. If you would prefer to be sponsored, get in touch and we will help you approach a local club.
Either. The form asks who is completing it. If the participant is under 18, a parent, guardian or other consenting adult must be named and must agree to the conditions as part of the application.
That is the normal situation, not the exception. Most participants arrive not knowing anyone, and the first session is built around fixing that quickly.
They are collected on the application form and are managed by the camp team across the weekend. Be as specific as you can, particularly with medications, dosages and frequency.
RYPEN is run by a team of RYLArians and Rotarian volunteers. All leaders and adult volunteers hold a current NSW Working with Children Check and complete Rotary youth protection training before the camp, and a risk management plan is prepared and approved for every camp.
The application form includes a media consent question. Photos are taken during the weekend and are used to share the program with clubs and schools and to give participants a record of the camp. Your answer on the form determines whether your child appears in them.
Thank you so much for making me able to do something like this. It was genuinely such a good camp and I enjoyed every bit.Participant, RYPEN North 2026
Each camp has its own application form and its own dates, venue and fee.
RYPEN South 2026 applications close Saturday 19 September 2026. The camp runs Saturday 3 to Monday 5 October 2026 at the Great Aussie Bush Camp, Tea Gardens, for ages 13 to 17, at $440 per participant.
Stuck on the form? Email rypen@rotary9660.org.au