In 1979, the first camp was held in Parade College, a Christian Brothers school in Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia, to provide a summer activities programme for children. The camp was a huge success and gradually the movement spread to other schools and colleges throughout Australia. Edmund Rice Camps have now been held in South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and New Zealand and the UK.

In 1998, the first camp in Ireland was run by the Presentation Brothers and their Associates in Cork, followed in 1999 by a Dublin Camp run by the Christian Brothers, Associates and friends. Camps now run in Omagh, Waterford, Liverpool and Stoke and there are plans to open further camps in 2006.

The Camp offers the leaders an opportunity to be a good role model, to help disadvantaged children, and to develop their organisational skills. In a collaborative venture, they also develop communication, leadership and teamwork skills.