A weekend camp for High School-Age Foster Youth

In Orange County, 45% of kids in foster care are between the ages of 12 and 18. Mariners Outreach offers a weekend camp in the local mountains designed to meet the unique needs of these adolescents. Leadership Extension Camp is designed for those in high school. Through challenging activities like ropes courses and rock-climbing , teens learn to work as a team, build trust, and develop leadership skills. They learn to communicate, negotiate and work with others. Most of all, they experience these things in a caring environment. Volunteer counselors model Christ’s love as they come alongside teens for a one-of-a-kind weekend adventure.

What is Leadership Extension Camp?

Leadership Extension Camp (LXC) is a three day (Friday – Sunday) leadership, problem-solving, team-building experience, with live music, and with a positive message designed for youth ages 16-18 who have been or are in the Foster Care system.

LXC is held in the local San Jacinto Mountains. LXC is staffed by volunteers from Mariners Church located in Irvine, and trained through Outreach Ministries.

Where do the teens come from?

Each year in Orange County over 50,000 children are reported abused or neglected. Currently, a great number of these kids are teens ages 16-18. These teens reside in a variety of county placements, some moving over four times in a year. Some live in group homes, others in foster homes.

How is the weekend Funded?

Funding for the camp is primarily through the generous donations of caring individuals, so the only cost that a camper must meet to attend camp is a $15-$25 registration fee. The true cost of camp is approximately $275. Outreach Ministries is grateful for the generous donors whose contributions subsidize most of the camp expenses.

What do the kids at Leadership Extension Camp do?

At LXC, the 40 teens will work through the many challenges presented in a ropes course activity. Personnel from Orange County Social Services have attended this course with our camp leadership and approved this activity for the inclusion in our camp. The camp also includes traditional camp activities, such as fireside evenings filled with fun stories, music swimming, and more.

This camp will be fun, but will also stretch and grow your youth through these experiences. The ropes challenges are designed to help participants realize the value of interdependence and encouragements, as each phase must be planned and solved before they continue to the next stage. Our volunteer staff has been hand-picked from those who have previously staffed other Mariners camps, including Teen Leadership Camp and Community Center Kids Camp.

Our goal at LXC is to give each camper healthy, practical leadership skills. The three days are packed full of lessons which are geared toward equipping the camper to become a leader.