Every year since 1948, Troy Camp has taken hundreds of local Los Angeles children on an unforgettable week-long camp adventure, during which the campers create life-long mentor/mentee relationships with the college students who attend the University of Southern California.
At camp, kids experience many new things, including hiking, horseback riding, swimming, arts & crafts, campfires, and bonding with other campers selected from the 20 local schools with which we work. The week of camp, along with all of our other programs, have always been completely free!
Campers are divided into cabins by age and gender. Each cabin is guided by two cabin counselors and a handful of "family" members. Cabin groups form into close-knit groups, and allow kids to make lasting friendships with counselors and fellow campers.
Everyone in camp belongs to a color team, each with its own style and attitude. While cabins are a more quiet and intimate, color teams are a chance for kids and counselors to be as loud and enthusiastic as possible. Teams compete in sports, cheering, and just about everything imaginable!
Troy Camp accepts 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students from LAUSD schools in the USC area. Spots are limited, so applications are given out to selected students by individual teachers in the Spring of each school year.
Contact our Director of Camper Recruitment below for more information, or view Frequently Asked Questions.
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The Troy Camp experience doesn’t end with camp. Throughout the following school year, campers and counselors reunite each month for new adventures and activities.
In past years, we’ve gone to Disneyland, visited the LA Zoo, competed in our very own Color Team Olympics, cooked holiday feasts, and explored museums in Expo Park. These outings are a chance for campers and counselors to further strengthen their mentor-mentee relationships and allow us to encourage students to pursue higher education. And just like camp, all of these activities are always completely free.
Troy Camp's ultimate mission is to act as a family of mentors for our students throughout their young lives. Our middle and high school programs are designed to maintain that relationship as our students grow.
Middle School Programming
Leaders in Training is our program for middle school students. Every week, we meet to engage in leadership activities, group discussions, and community service activities. The program is designed to ease the transition into high school and help students to establish healthy study habits and leadership skills.
high school programming
TC Leads is our after-school program for high-school students designed to build on the leadership skills gained in LIT. Our counselors are knowledgeable about the process of moving into higher education, and each week we work together to help students find and pursue their passion. We host biweekly workshops for college applications, interview skills, public speaking, social media, and many other topics that might get left out of school curriculums. Like all our programs, TC Leads is 100% free.
contact us about tc leads
Every week, Troy Camp organizes after-school programming on-campus at USC. Our Specialized Programming (or “SP” for short) is available to all students who went to camp as 3rd or 4th graders that year and is always completely free.
Our Specialized Programming focuses on extracurricular subjects, and is meant to foster students' interest in new topics and hobbies. In the past, we have done a variety of different SP's, including PE, Dance, Theatre, Art, Science, Creative Writing, or Music. These hourlong sessions give students a chance to be creative and inquisitive, and often culminate with a showcase for friends and family at the end of the semester.
