Information

Find out more about the opportunities we provide, and relevant information for parents, guardians & social workers.

Picnics

Four day-long picnics are held each year, each involving over 250 leaders and 500 kids at various activity venues around Perth. Most of our volunteer leaders are university students, who are paired into ‘mums and dads’ and allocated two or three kids for the day. For each picnic, the ‘mums and dads‘ of each ‘family’ generously donate their time and efforts to:

– organise pick-up and drop-off times with the parents/guardians of each kid in their ‘family’
– dress up in a dazzling costume for the picnic’s nominated theme
– provide lunch and transport for their kids
– and most importantly provide the kids with as many fun times as possible!

The Uni Camp for Kids Committee arranges the activities for the day, aiming to provide environments that are both enjoyable and safe for the kids. Activities that are often run include: inflatable bouncy castles, aquatic centres, braiding bracelets, making icing biscuits, playing sports and venturing to water parks.

Being a volunteer leader at a picnic is a fantastic way to get involved in Uni Camp for Kids and is so much fun! In the past, the number of kids we can provide for on picnics has been limited by the number of volunteers. Now, we have grown so huge we are only limited by space and funding.

Information sheet

Latest picnic sign-ups

FAQs

Camps

The three week-long summer camps held each year in January, are the major aim of Uni Camp for Kids. Each camp involves 14 “families” consisting of two student volunteers and six kids, along with other leaders in various support roles. Camps are far more involved than the day-long picnics, being a live-in style based out of a camp school in Rockingham. Leaders are responsible for the kids 24/7, providing entertainment from the break of dawn until kids are put to bed and exhausted leaders fall asleep.

Each day brings a different set of fun activities. Kids are taken to various activity venues around Perth over the course of the week, ranging from Bounce to Mandurah Fun Fair. Camps provide the opportunity to form stronger bonds with the kids and allow for an escape from hardships they might face in their everyday lives. With the support and generosity of our supporters, UCFK raises over $170,000 each year to fund these camps (and picnics), which are the highlight of the year for kids and leaders alike.

On camps, the emphasis is strictly on fun and letting kids be kids, rather than any kind of religious or educational platform. We find that this style is most beneficial to the children, who don’t often get such an opportunity. We often receive feedback from parents/guardians and social workers on the improvements to the self-esteem and confidence of the kids after camps. These positive experiences hopefully make a proactive difference in their lives – some of our greatest successes are the kids who grow out of camps with the aim of coming back as a leader themselves.

Information for new families

FAQs

For parents/guardians

Uni Camp for Kids camps and picnics provide a great opportunity for your child/ren to meet new friends, take part in a huge variety of activities, and just have fun!

The services we provide are also aimed at providing respite for yourself and other family members. This extra time is especially valuable if your child comes from a large family, places high demand on your time and attention and/or when there are other special circumstances.

Please read our FAQs to find out more about the services Uni Camp for Kids provides, whether or not your child is eligible, and how to get them nominated.

For social workers

We are always looking for more children aged between 5-12 years who could benefit from these experiences to add to our database for invitations to picnics and camps. We encourage nominations from all social workers, school counsellors and school principals. Please check the Frequently Asked Questions page for criteria and more detailed information about Uni Camp For Kids before you nominate children.

The nomination forms are strictly confidential and will be reviewed only by the UCFK secretary. Children who are successfully nominated and added to the Uni Camp for Kids database will receive an invitation and permission form for each picnic several weeks in advance. The number of children we can provide for is limited by funds and the capacity of our volunteers.

For the week-long camps, the limited number of placements makes selection more difficult. Social workers must nominate children for camps each year, even if they have previously attended camps and picnics. These summer camp applications are sent out to social workers in early October. The Uni Camp for Kids Secretary reviews each application and sends camp invitations to those children identified as being most in need. Ideally we would love to provide for all of the children, but are restricted by the available funds and number of volunteers. All of our camp volunteers have been screened by Working With Children checks, and in the majority of cases are personally well known by Uni Camp For Kids Committee members.

To nominate a child, please contact us. The nomination forms are strictly confidential and will be reviewed only by the Uni Camp For Kids Secretary. Once you have received your referral forms, they can be returned by post, fax or email. Feel free to email secretary@unicampforkids.org.au to confirm you application has been received.

Information sheet

FAQs