A commitment to friendship
We're a USC student-run philanthropy providing long-term mentorship for kids throughout South Los Angeles. Together, we engage in educational, extracurricular, and leadership programs to foster personal growth and instill the value of learning.
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Summer camp and beyond
Throughout the school year, we build relationships with local elementary, middle, and high school students. In the summer we host a week-long camp in the San Bernardino Mountains for 200 elementary school students and throughout the year we hold monthly events for returning campers at various places around Los Angeles. We're non-denominational, a nonprofit, and all of our programs are free for students.
discover our programsOur programs:
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, the children 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!
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.
Leaders in Training is our program for middle school students. Every other 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.
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.
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 freeOur 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.
What we're up to:
event
Pass the Can is November 4!
Coming off our successful return to in-person programming and a fully in-person summer camp for the first time since 2019, Troy Camp would love to invite you to help us reach our fundraising goal of $80,000. Every dollar raised goes directly towards Troy Camp’s mentorship and leadership programs.
Learn More & Volunteer
RECRUITMENT
Fall 2023 Recruitment is Open
Every spring, we open our family to new members excited about carrying on the TC tradition. Our application is open to all current USC students.
Follow the link below for details, or contact us for more information.
anniversary
Celebrating 75 Years of Friendship
Founded in 1948 by USC student Otis Healy, Troy Camp is an integral part of the USC community.
As one of the university’s oldest and largest philanthropy organizations, we are committed to providing long-term mentorship for the youth of South Los Angeles.
