Welcome to SJYC!
OUR MISSION:
To provide positive and impactful outdoor, traditional camp experiences for youth of the Southwest.
We offer overnight and day camp programs for youth ages 7 to 17 to get outdoors, learn from nature, build personal life skills, and create friendships, memories, and community.
St. Joseph’s Youth Camp is a non-denominational, 501(c)3 nonprofit camp located 25 minutes southeast of Flagstaff, AZ, and 2.5 hours north of Phoenix.
We specialize in sleepaway and day camp programs for youth ages 7 to 17 to get outdoors, learn from nature, build personal life skills, and create friendships, memories, and community.
We believe that camp can impact lives for the better. We aim to make SJYC a home away from home: we want the children we serve to learn, grow, and know they belong here.
History
Before St. Joseph’s Youth Camp became a youth camp, it was a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. The CCC was a voluntary public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men between the ages of 18 and 25.
St. Joseph’s Youth Camp was then founded in 1949. The camp was named for Joe Schmidt, a pioneer leader who was very generous with his time and money in the early development of the camp. St. Joseph’s Youth Camp became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1985.
Since its start, St. Joseph’s Youth Camp has served over 20,000 youth through our camp programs. Today, you can still find occasionally find some painted white rocks which were used to line the walkways and paths in the 1930s, long before the camp was well, camp.