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A counselor throws both arms in the air beside a giant rainbow earth ball at Swamp Camp Bolivia

Swamp Corps · a program of S.C.M.A.

Go.Grow.Leave a camp behind.

Swamp Corps sends young leaders around the world to start summer camps in communities that invite us. Within three years the camp belongs to them. You come home changed.

See open trips Bring a camp to us
Since 2010...
1,074gone and grew
23countries
25camps started
4continents

Where could I go?

Open trips

All three camps are in their second year, which means you would co-lead with the local team who will soon run it without us.

Campers and counselors making heart shapes with their arms on a veranda above the Malaysian jungle

South-East Asia

ATLKUL

Malaysia

Dates
May 24 - Jun 9, 2027
Fly from
Atlanta
Price
To be announced

Camp year2 of 3

Trip info
Seven counselors in green Swamp Camp Mexico shirts, arms around each other, palms and sky behind

Latin America

ATLMEX

Mexico

Dates
Aug 5 - 17, 2027
Fly from
Atlanta
Price
To be announced

Camp year2 of 3

Trip info
A team selfie in the van on the road in Bangladesh

South Asia

ATLDAC

Bangladesh

Dates
October 2027
Fly from
Atlanta
Price
To be announced

Camp year2 of 3

Trip info

Dates are tentative until flights are booked. Every trip leaves from the United States and includes flights, lodging, camp fees, transport, most meals and group travel insurance.

Seven young women from the Swamp Corps team at a railing above the Kathmandu valley

Two weeks somewhere you have never been

  • Land, meet your host family and get your bearings
  • Take a day or two to see the city
  • Train and build a team with local counselors
  • Run a full week of camp for 9 to 18 year olds
  • Worship together, say hard goodbyes, fly home
A team in yellow Swamp Camp shirts huddled in a circle, seen from below against the sky

You do not come back the same

  • First trip? Your job is to learn. Be a sponge.
  • Led before? Bring it, and lead with humility.
  • You represent camp everywhere: the airport, the long bus ride, the unfamiliar food.
  • You return a culture carrier, stronger and ready to lead at home.

Read the Ambassador Training

How it works

We do not run camps forever.

We start camps that last.

Swamp Corps is a team of experienced campers, counselors and leaders who commit to a three-year handoff in a community that has invited us.

Each year we do a little less and they do a little more. By the end, the camp is theirs: locally led, locally sustained, and built to be there for the next generation.

  1. Year 1

    Plant the culture

    Swamp Corps leads

    We run the whole camp and set the roles, the expectations and the spiritual culture.

  2. Year 2

    Train and cultivate

    We lead together

    We co-lead with local leaders, coaching and reinforcing what makes camp, camp.

  3. Year 3

    Transfer ownership

    They lead

    Local leaders run the camp. We assess, support and strengthen what will keep it going.

  4. Year 4+

    Sustain and support

    Their camp

    Ongoing training, audits, leadership development and a place in a global family of camps.

Your pathway

Five steps from here to there

  1. 01

    Apply

    Pick a trip, check you are eligible and send your application.

  2. 02

    Train

    Three online team meetings, then staff training on site.

  3. 03

    Travel

    Fly out together. Nobody does this alone.

  4. 04

    Establish

    Run camp side by side with the people who will carry it on.

  5. 05

    Return and multiply

    Come home and lead. Most people go again.

Who can go

Choose your role

Counselors need at least one week at a Swamp Camp behind them, or the Director's permission. They also pass a background check and bring a recommendation from a ministry leader.

17–30

Counselor

You have been a Christian for at least six months and you want to spend 24 hours a day giving to campers. Single, married or in college.

14–18

Camper

Travel on your own from 14. Coming with a parent? Then camp age applies, which is 9 to 18.

17+

Volunteer

Help the camp run: setup, serving, medical staff. No Swamp Camp experience needed.

A counselor grinning with a dodgeball in hand
Honduras 2025
A counselor in a green Mexico jersey throwing her arms wide and laughing
Mexico 2026
A young man in glasses laughing out loud at Swamp Camp Malaysia
Malaysia 2026
A counselor laughing while his face is painted
Honduras 2025

What you are carrying

We are in the connection business offering a fun camp experience, not the summer camp business offering connections.

A spiritual camp, not a religious camp.

Every Swamp Camp is built on the same ten core values. They are what you train in, and what you hand over.

  • YHWH
  • Differences
  • Food
  • Fun
  • Investment
  • Leadership
  • Respect
  • Roles
  • Safety
  • Spirituality

Every game, devotional, meal and conversation builds toward belonging, leadership and faith that lasts. And it is fun.

Swamp Camp mission and core values

Where we have been

25 camps. 4 continents. 16 years.

MexicoBangladeshMalaysia

Caribbean

  • Jamaica2010
  • Barbados2011
  • Bahamas2014

Americas

  • Brazil, Belo Horizonte2013
  • Nicaragua2016
  • Honduras2019
  • Brazil, São Paulo2023
  • Paraguay2023
  • Bolivia2025
  • Mexico2026

Africa

  • South Africa2012
  • Zimbabwe2015
  • Kenya2018
  • Mozambique2018
  • Angola2024
  • Uganda2025
  • Namibia2026

Asia

  • India, South2014
  • GC Camp2017
  • Cambodia2018
  • Taiwan2019
  • Nepal2022
  • India, North2024
  • Bangladesh2026
  • Malaysia2026

In their words

“I learned that all humans are the same no matter what color or where they live.”

Participant

“My child was greatly impacted by last year's trip. It was a chance for her to be out of herself, and others-centered.”

Counselor parent

“We noticed character changes on return from the camp. A totally different attitude.”

Camper parent
Boys with arms over each other's shoulders in a prayer huddle

For churches and communities

Want a camp where you live?

We only go where we are invited. If your church or community is ready to build something that lasts, we would love to hear from you.

How a camp gets started

Cannot go this year?

Send someone.

Every counselor pays their own way. A gift toward one of them puts a young leader on the plane.

Sponsor a participant Give to the general fund

Raising your own support? Start with the fundraising letter.

Three Swamp Corps team members waving on the camp lawn

One week can change a life.
One week can change the world.

Apply to go Bring a camp to us

Read the participant FAQs before you apply. Ten minutes answers most questions.