About Leaders in Training
Youthworks’ Leaders in Training (LIT) is an awesome camp for youth in Years 9 - 12 in 2026 who want to grow as Christian leaders.
You will meet fantastic friends and have a brilliant time but it’s also pretty challenging.
We are going to push you hard to think about your faith and how you can use your gifts for the glory of God.
The whole week is about growing you as a Christian, as a leader and as a servant of Jesus and His people.
LIT is run at Youthworks Conference Centres Port Hacking and Youthworks Conference Centres Shoalhaven.
Lead with Justice. Walk with Humility. Live with Hope.
What does it actually look like to lead as a Christian?
The prophet Micah spoke into a time when leaders were meant to guide God’s people—but instead they used their power for themselves. Justice was ignored. The poor were exploited. Those trusted to lead had failed the people they were meant to serve.
Micah doesn’t stay silent. With courage and clarity, he exposes the corruption of the leaders of his day and reminds God’s people what true leadership looks like: leadership shaped by God’s heart—acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with Him.
But Micah’s message is more than a rebuke. Again and again the book shows the same pattern: sin leads to judgment—but God’s mercy leads to hope. God takes sin seriously and confronts injustice, yet he also delights to forgive, restore, and shepherd his people.
That’s why Micah ultimately points us forward with hope. Even when human leaders fail, God promises a future where His people will be restored and led in justice and peace.
At LIT this year, as we explore the book of Micah together, we’ll be asking:
What kind of leaders does God want us to be?
How do we lead faithfully in our churches, schools, and friendships?
And what hope are we pointing people toward?
Join us as we discover what it means to lead with justice, live with humility, and place our hope in the God who delights to show mercy.
Register
Spring 2026
28 September - 2 October, 2026
Youthworks Conference Centres
Port Hacking
Tickets $515*
Registration closes 11:00am 7 September 2026.
Summer 2027
#1 Port Hacking
19 - 23 January, 2027
Youthworks Conference Centres
Port Hacking
Tickets $515
Registration closes 11:00am
5 January 2027.
#2 Port Hacking
23 - 27 January, 2027
Youthworks Conference Centres
Port Hacking
Tickets $515
Registration closes 11:00am
5 January 2027.
#3 Shoalhaven
24 - 28 January, 2027
Youthworks Conference Centres Shoalhaven
Tickets $515
Registration closes 11:00am
5 January 2027.
If you love Jesus and are passionate about serving Him with your whole life then Youthworks’ LIT is definitely for you.
The cost for this year’s LIT will be $515 plus booking fee. There is no early bird discount. See our FAQ for more information.
LIT Daily Program
8:00 | Breakfast
8:45 | Connect Groups
Designed to help you dig deeply in God’s word and reflect on what you have been learning in the Gathering
9:30 | Time With God
Personal ‘Time with God’ to reflect and apply what we have been taught
10:00 | Teaching Target
Designed to help you learn some skills to share God’s word with others.
10:55 | Morning Tea
11:10 | Training
Designed to take you through a series of core training topics for leaders over 3 years of LIT.
13:15 | Lunch
14:15 | Free Time/Activities
15:30 | Afternoon Tea
16:00 | Free Time
17:30 | Prayer Groups
Designed to give you time with a smaller group of youth across stages so that you might share and pray together about your life, the world and all you are learning.
18:00 | Return to Sites
18:30 | Dinner
19:45 | The Gathering
An all in time for great Bible talks, singing, prayer and more
21:30 | Supper
Speakers
LIT Summer #1
Brett Hookham & Mark Taylor
LIT Spring
Andrew Spalding & Stu Jansen
LIT Summer #2
Brett Hookham & Cooper Ingram
LIT Summer #3
Andrew Spalding & Jimmy Knight
Ministry Partners
LIT would like to thank our Ministry Partners for investing in the next generation of Christian leaders.
Take Love is a youth initiative of Anglicare. We’re all about taking the love of Jesus to our community and inspiring others to do the same. We're here to equip you, your school and your youth group with practical ways to get involved in Anglicare’s life-changing work.
What has God put on your heart? Improving people’s mental health? Alleviating poverty? Preventing domestic abuse? Caring for older people? Connecting with the lonely and isolated? Whatever it is, we can help you make a difference.
Year 13 is a Christian gap year for school leavers, preparing you to change the world for Christ, whatever walk of life you choose. Spend a year with like-minded young people from all over Australia.
During your Year 13 discipleship Gap Year, you will grow in your knowledge and understanding of God, serve on an overseas mission, learn what discipleship can look like in your life now and in the future..... And have a whole lot of fun!
Leader & Church Partnership
Partnering with Youthworks
LIT seeks to serve the local church by providing a place for young leaders to be encouraged and equipped for ministry. Youthworks would love your church to partner with us by sending youth and leaders to LIT.
Sending leaders and youth together provides the necessary leadership to run a successful camp and a natural capacity to follow up and support the young leaders after camp. You can further compliment LIT by integrating the training from camp into your broader training strategy.
We understand that it’s not always possible to send a leader from your church. In that case, we would like to invite you to send your youth and let the larger Christian family support you as we collectively seek to equip and encourage our young leaders in training.
Please read our Church Partnership document to get a more complete picture of what we do at LIT and how it can bless your church.
If you are interested in talking further about how LIT might serve your church, please contact any of our ministry advisors or our office on 8268 3355 or ministrysupport@youthworks.net and we will help you to work out the next steps for your church.
Leading on LIT
The opportunity to be part of God’s enabling and equipping of our young leaders at such an influential time cannot be over estimated. As a leader on LIT you will have five primary responsibilities:
Pre camp: Work with your church leadership to identify and encourage potential youth who would benefit from being equipped at LIT. There are promo resources available: youthworks.net/lit#downloads
On camp: Teach the campers faithfully from the Bible as you lead a Connect Group and Teaching Target group each day. We will give you the resources for this and you will be paired with a co-leader.
On camp: Share your life and pastorally care for the campers in your Connect Group. Look for opportunities to spend time with them during the program and free time.
On camp: Help campers to identify opportunities to use their gifts at church and school.
At all times: Be an example of godliness and a model of Christian leadership.
Most leaders are directly invited through our partnering churches who are bringing youth to camp, but if you are from another church and would like to serve then please read through our 2026-27 Leader Invitation and contact our office before filling in the leader application form.
If you are interested in leading on LIT but have further questions, please contact our office on 8268 3355 or ministrysupport@youthworks.net.
FAQs
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LIT Spring runs in the first week of the September school holidays each year. The dates for LIT Spring in 2026 are:
28 September - 2 October, 2026
LIT Summer has three camps running from January 2027. Two at our Port Hacking Conference centres and one at Waterslea on the Shoalhaven River. The dates for LIT in 2027 are:
Port Hacking
Week 1 | 19-23 January, 2027
Week 2 | 23-27 January, 2027
Shoalhaven
Week 3 | 24-28 January, 2027
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LIT Spring runs in the first week of the September school holidays each year. The Spring 2027 the dates are yet to be determined.
LIT Summer has three camps running from January 2027. Two at our Port Hacking Conference centres and one at Waterslea on the Shoalhaven River. The Summer 2028 the dates are yet to be determined. We try to run these as late as possible in the January school holidays and finish the last day of the Shoalhaven camp the day before Public School holidays finish (excluding the School development Days).
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LIT Spring and Summer #1 & #2 will be held at Youthworks Conference Centres Port Hacking, Rathane Road, Royal National Park.
LIT Summer #3 will be held at Youthworks Conference Centres Shoalhaven, Rathane Road, Royal National Park.
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LIT / Spring check-in is at 1:00pm on the first day of camp and finishes after lunch on the final day at approximately 2:00pm.
LIT / Summer #1 check-in is at 3:00pm on the first day of camp.
Summer #2 check-in is at 4:00pm on the first day of camp.
Summer #3 check-in is TBC.
All summer camps will finish after lunch on the final day at approximately 2:00pm.
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If you’ve never been to LIT before AND in Term 1-4 of 2026 you are in Year 9 or 10 then you must start in Stage 1.
Even if you have been a Christian for a while, you are serving in your church and you have done leadership training through church and school we still insist that you start in Stage 1. Our program is designed to build on the previous year(s), so you will get the most out of LIT if you start at the beginning. It also means that those who have done Stage 1 before can have the best experience of Stage 2.
The exception to this is if in Term 1-4 of 2026 you are in Year 11 or 12, then you should book a Stage 2 ticket.
Only youth who have completed Stage 2 are allowed to do Stage 3.
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In short, No.
You will make new friends on camp and have time with friends from other stages during free time and The Gathering. We can organise to have leaders help you make connections at the start of camp if this is something you are nervous about.
It's important that you follow the instructions about what ticket to purchase when you register because otherwise it disadvantages the other campers who have come before.
If you are in Term 1-4 of 2026 you are in Year 9 or 10 AND coming to LIT for the first time then you must start in Stage 1.
If you are in Year 11 or 12 in 2026 and coming for the first time, then you should purchase a Stage 2 ticket.
If in Term 1-4 of 2026 you are in Year 11 or 12 AND coming to LIT for the first time, then you should book a Stage 2 ticket.
We don’t take any campers in Stage 3 who have not already done LIT Stage 2.
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This information is available in our booking terms and conditions that are agreed to when tickets are purchased.
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Yes! Free time each day and The Gathering each evening see all three stages come together, so if you have friends in other stages you will be able to hang out with them then.
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At Youthworks, we aim to cater for a wide range of dietary requirements and allergies. However, all meals are prepared in a shared commercial kitchen, and while we take reasonable steps to minimise cross-contamination, we cannot guarantee that food will be completely free from traces of allergens.
Some ingredients and packaged products used in our catering may also carry "may contain traces" allergen warnings.
If you have a severe allergy and require food that is completely free from traces of specific allergens, we encourage you to contact us before your stay to discuss your needs. Depending on your circumstances, you may prefer to bring your own food. If so, access to a refrigerator, microwave, and boiling water will be available for food storage and reheating.
If you would like to review a menu before your stay, please contact us at ministrysupport@youthworks.net and we can provide a copy where available.
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We allocate rooms according to gender for each stage, and then you get to pick your room groups from there. So if you are a boy and in Stage 1, you will be in a room with other boys from Stage 1.
There is some time to get to know other people from your stage before you choose your rooms, so even if you come to camp not knowing anyone you will have time to make new friends before you have to work out which room to go in.
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Year 12s on LIT Spring will have a dedicated quiet space for afternoon study. Indicate on your registration that you would like to use this space and we will reserve a spot for you. This will be available for approximately 2-3 hours on Days 2 - 4 of camp.
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Yes. Please speak to your local church first and see if they might provide financial assistance.
There is also a Deposit and Bank Transfer option on the ticketing website that allows you to space out payments in the registration window.
If your church are unable to help and you need further assistance beyond the Deposit and Transfer option, please email ministrysupport@youthworks.net with a little about your situation, what church you are with and what assistance you require, including the amount of financial assistance you are asking for.
We also offer a third child discount. Please contact ministrysupport@youthworks.net for information of how to receive this discount.
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This is our new payment plan option that is essentially self-directed.
Please be aware that there are several steps you must complete to ensure your teenagers place on camp proceeds smoothly.
Step 1 – Pay the Deposit & Complete all Ticket Info Select and buy your tickets via the button on this page. The deposit is set at $100 of your ticket price plus booking fees. This reserves your place(s) at camp but the remaining balance needs to be paid by the due date for camp.
Step 2 – Pay the Remaining Balance by EFT by Monday 31 August 2026 Your remaining balance to be paid after deposit is $415. It's up to you from there to decide how to pay the balance. You can make multiple transfers or pay in one transfer, just make sure it arrives in our bank account by Monday 31 August 2026.
Step 3 – Include the Correct Reference on your payment Your transfer reference should be the Customer Last Name + LITSPR Example: Nguyen LITSPR or Smith LITSPR
Step 4 – Send Remittance Advice for Every Bank Transfer Please email remittance advice or payment confirmation of every transfer to ministrysupport@youthworks.net.
A note about collecting camper information
We need to manually validate your tickets and deposit before you can add camper information (e.g. dietary requirements, etc.). This process will take place periodically during the registration period. Please keep an eye out for an email regarding this and complete your ticket information in a timely way so we can adequately prepare for you on camp.
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Each stage has a limited number of places available across all three weeks of camp. If your stage still has places available in another week, we encourage you to register for that week rather than waiting for a spot to open up.
A waitlist will only become available once all places for that stage have been filled across all three weeks. If a waitlist is available, you can join it and we'll contact you if a place becomes available. Please note that joining the waitlist does not guarantee a spot at camp.
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Yes! You can download our Social Story for LITs at Port Hacking which has a simple explanation of what a camper will experience on LIT with images from our Port Hacking site. We hope this will help you to know what to expect and feel more prepared. Please contact our office if you have more questions at ministrysupport@youthworks.net or on (02) 8268 3355.