The first Summer Youth Camp NACWYCA ran in Lafia was a modest thing. A few weeks, a group of young people, and not much else except the conviction that this was worth doing.
That first group went home with new skills and new friends. A few of them came back the following year to help. Some of them are still involved with this organisation today.
That was 25 years ago. We have been doing it every August since.
This Year: Summer Youth Camp 2026
Registration is now open for Summer Youth Camp 2026, running August 17 to 28 in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The theme this year is Nurturing Tomorrow's Leaders. It is a theme we chose because it describes what actually happens at camp — not what we hope will happen, but what we have watched happen, year after year, for two and a half decades.
"Every young voice deserves to be heard, every dream deserves to grow."
What Actually Happens at Camp
Twelve days is enough time for something real to happen. Here is how we use it.
Participants work through sessions on leadership, democracy, and good governance — not as abstract concepts, but as practical skills young people can use in the communities they are growing up in. They get hands-on entrepreneurship training. They take part in team challenges that put the theory to work.
They also meet peers from across Lafia and Nasarawa State. That part matters more than it sounds. A lot of what young people take home from camp is not a skill they learned in a session — it is a friendship with someone they would never have met otherwise, or the realisation that a problem they thought was unique to their community is actually shared widely.
Evenings are for creative and cultural activities. There is music, performance, and shared time that does not fit neatly into a programme outline. That is intentional.
Why This Year Is Different
This is NACWYCA's 25th anniversary. We are not making a ceremony out of it — the camp is the ceremony.
Twenty-five years of this programme represents thousands of young people who came through Lafia and went home changed in ways that took years to show up fully. Some of them are now parents sending their own children. Some are running businesses. Some came back as volunteers and stayed.
We say this not to pat ourselves on the back but because it is relevant context for any parent deciding whether to register their child. This programme has a track record. It is not an experiment.
How to Register
Registration for Summer Youth Camp 2026 is open now. The fee is ₦5,000 only.
Pick up your registration form at either of these locations:
- NACWYCA House, Shendam Road (Opposite Ministry of Information), Lafia, Nasarawa State
- Breeze FM, Maina Estate, Jos Road, Lafia, Nasarawa State
For enquiries, reach the team directly:
- Augustina E — 08035330630
- Adokpa Mamman — 08051215121
- IBB — 08069277983
| Dates: August 17 – 28, 2026 Theme: Nurturing Tomorrow's Leaders Fee: ₦5,000 only Pick up at NACWYCA House or Breeze FM, Lafia Website: www.nacwyca.org |
If There Is a Young Person in Your Life
We are not going to tell you this camp will change your child's life. That depends on them, and on you, and on a lot of things we have no control over.
What we can tell you is that 12 days in the right room, with the right people, asking the right questions — it tends to matter. We have seen it matter for 25 years in this community.
Registration is open. If you know a young person who could use this, now is a good time to pick up a form.