The Académie St Joan of Arc Summer Camp Program

Académie St Joan of Arc is a brand new organization, which purpose is to offer a space for reflection and meditation, while discovering the high places of the spirituality and History of the Church in France as part of organized trips.
It offers in 2024 a unique 5-week course specifically aimed at English-speaking Catholic students, based on the richness of the French religious and historical Heritage, combining intellectual studies, outdoor and cultural activities, spiritual life, manual work and pilgrimages.
In the coming years, the range of programs will expand, with courses of different durations designed for various audiences. Stay tuned!

This 2024 Summer camp is particularly designed for Newly Graduates before they begin their university curriculum, and students already in their higher studies, who wish to take the time to discern and position themselves in their adult, family, social and professional lives.
Therefore, the ideal age range to participate is 18 – 23.

Our program will include a variety of accommodation spaces. From camping to abbeys and hostels, you can expect to be in the heart of the action. During your stay, you will be accommodated either in dorms or in 2-people tents. Either way, boys and girls will be separated, including for shower and toilet access.
For meals, you will have the opportunity to eat like a local, which is one of the best parts of travel! Our program includes 3 meals a day, with additional snacks when the outdoor activity is more intense. Classic dietary requirements can usually be catered for but please make sure you check with one of the team before you book. Being on the move for 5 weeks, the Academy will adapt, but might not be able to guarantee special meals or diets. During cultural, sporting or leisure activities, picnic or lunch boxes will be the preferred option.

If you have specific questions, please contact the team.

At Académie St Joan of Arc, we are proud to have some of the best staff in the business looking after you on the ground. Our 2 groups (boys, and girls) will be accompanied from start to finish by experienced French Instructors and Educators, all fluent in English. They will be reinforced by Catholic fully trained elder students and religious people from the different sites. We will be careful to respect the gender distribution of the staff within the groups.
Teachings will be provided by consecrated people from the communities hosting us, a senior Theologian, philosophers, and former military officers.

Our programs will include arrival transfers, activities listed in the brochure, accommodation and all meals. The main components that are not included in the program fee and you will be responsible for acquiring yourself are: flights, insurance, visas if necessary, vaccinations, personal kit and spending money.

As part of the spiritual and human training provided by the Académie, you will have a limited usage of your mobile phone. Daily breaks and rest times will be scheduled for you to communicate with your loved ones. Outside of those slots, you will be asked to put your phone on airplane mode.
You should also let your friends and families know that you won’t have constant access to the internet while you are on your trip. Whilst Wifi is widely available in France and Spain, not every place you visit will have free wifi. As we take pride in exploring off the beaten track locations as part of the experience, there will definitely be times where you are out of contact so we encourage you to let loved ones know in advance times when you will be out of communication for a few days so they don’t worry. The Académie staff and project partners will always have a way of getting messages out in case of an emergency.

The program has 2 main types of activities: immersion in religious communities, for which you are asked to be modestly dressed: legs covered by non-tight clothing (no leggings), stomach, back and shoulders covered; and outdoor activities for which relevant clothing is advised: sports, smart casual, trekking.

The minimum age to join the program is 18. The program is open to all nationalities, with a large majority joining from the USA. It is your responsibility to ensure you meet the passport, visa and immigration requirements for France and Spain (both part of the Schengen area).If you are a North American citizen, you do not need a visa for less than 90 days.

Physically speaking, no specific condition is required, only the ability to walk several miles with a 20kg backpack on your shoulders. The program is designed by experienced officers to grow your walking endurance from 3-5 miles at the beginning up to 12-13 miles walk/day in mountainous area at the end. If you are unsure or think we need to be aware of a special medical situation, please check with us beforehand.

There is no fixed date by which you need to apply to join the program, but places are subject to availability and we therefore recommend booking as soon as possible to save any future disappointment. You need to pay a USD 2,500 deposit when you book to secure your place. As well as securing your place on the program, your deposit also secures the price and means you can start planning and getting excited about your adventure.

Your initial point of contact will usually be one of our program advisors who are well-travelled themselves and passionate about the benefits that travel brings. Their job is to provide you with all the necessary information. Once you have booked your place, you will receive detailed documents and instructions to guide you through the planning and preparation stages. Our team is always available by e-mail or phone in case of any doubt, and they will regularly check on you to make sure you have everything you need before you go.

St Joan of Arc is committed to the highest levels of safety and security. We cannot remove risk from overseas travel altogether but by following a clear set of security and management matrix, we aim to reduce your level of risk compared to independent travel in the same location.

Yes. We offer full financial protection for all customer money paid to us. In the unlikely event that the Académie was to become insolvent, any money you have paid towards an unused course will be returned to you. In the case of a course interruption, specific details are clearly stated in our Code of Conduct, which you will receive once you have registered for the program.

We are committed to exert a positive impact on the regions, countries and communities which we visit. For us it is paramount that the local organizations and communities we partner with benefit from our cooperation. We achieve this working with authentic local service providers and project partners whose policies and codes of practice align with our sustainability goals.

If you have a question that wasn’t answered above, please do contact us and we’ll be happy to help!