Identify candidates
Reach out to local schools, youth workers or families in your community. Youth Directors are best placed to spot young people who would benefit.
For Rotary clubs
Your part in it
Sponsoring a young person to RYPEN is one of the highest-value youth investments a club can make. Here is what the club actually needs to do.
The club's role
Four things, and none of them are hard
Cover or share the cost
The camp fee can be covered by the club, by the participant's family, or shared between them. Club sponsorship is recommended where possible, as it removes a barrier for the young people who would benefit most.
Nominate
There is no cap on how many participants a club can nominate, and places are allocated first come, first served. It pays to get in early.
Stay connected
A short follow-up afterwards, and inviting the participant to speak at a club meeting, reinforces the value and often sparks ongoing involvement.
How to nominate
Getting a young person to camp
Find the young person
Most nominations come through a local high school, but a club member's own network works just as well. RYPEN suits capable, under-confident young people more than it suits obvious high achievers.
Agree the sponsorship with the family
Decide whether the club is covering the fee in full or sharing it, and tell the family what to expect before they start the application.
Have the application completed
The family or the participant completes the online application for the camp. The form asks for the sponsoring club's name and contact, so give them those details first.
Complete the endorsement
Where a club is endorsing an applicant to a Rotary youth program, use the district's Rotary Endorsement Form.
Volunteering
Helping at a camp
RYPEN camps run on Rotarian volunteers alongside the RYLArian facilitation team. If your club has members who would like to help at a camp, get in touch early, because there are compliance steps to complete first.
Every adult at a RYPEN camp needs a current NSW Working with Children Check, a completed RYVID form, and a signed Child Safe Code of Conduct.
What RYPEN can and cannot provide
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.
I made some new friends that I will keep in contact with. One day I hope to be part of Rotary and maybe even be a RYPEN leader, to give back to others. I was inspired.Participant, RYPEN North 2026
Talk to us first
Whether you are sponsoring, nominating or volunteering, the fastest way to start is an email to rypen@rotary9660.org.au.
Sponsor a young person
Check the dates and fee for the next camp, then point your candidate's family at the application form.
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.