Parent Resources

So you're sending your child to camp! We know that it is a trying time for parents so here are some things that will hopefully make your camp experience a better one.

First, lets talk about our staff:
People selected to be staff members demonstrate a genuine interest in helping children grow and develop through outdoor experiences. Standard First Aid, CPR and lifeguarding are certifications held by the staff. Staff members have experience leading children - perhaps as a part time job through the school year, or on a volunteer basis - most have this experience through camping. In addition, many of our staff are graduates of the YoWoChAs Counsellor-In-Training programme. The week before campers arrive, our staff members receive an intense week-long training session. We cover everything from health, hygiene and safety to programming and dealing with homesickness.

What should you do ?
Let your camper know that it will be fun. Tell them stories about some of your camp experiences, that you are excited for them and be empathetic to their feelings of adventure and fear.

Once they have come to us, take some time for yourself. Trust in the fact that your child or children are in good hands. The YoWoChAs Outdoor Education Centre is staffed with outdoor professionals that meet a strict training and skills standards. Take this time to be selfish. Do things for yourself. Think of it as a vacation. There is no reason why you shouldn't enjoy the camp experience as much as your child or children.

What are some things that you should avoid doing ?
You should try to avoid calling your campers while they are here. We say this for a couple of different reasons. When you call your camper it is almost guaranteed that it will start a homesickness trend, not only in your child but the children around them. One of the methods that we use to combat homesickness is to keep the campers so busy that they don't have a chance to think about being away from home. Getting a phone call from home only makes them think about being away from home, this causes homesickness. If you can remember being homesick it is an all consuming emotion. It makes it very hard for a camper to enjoy anything. It is also an extremely contagious emotion. The homesickness of one camper will soon spread to the whole group.

A phone call can also make it harder on you. A camper that has been having a great time during their visit, upon hearing the voice of their parent will quickly start to sound unhappy. This will weigh heavily on your emotions. Finally, we do not have the phone system to handle all the phone calls for each parent to call their children during their visit with us.

What should you prepare yourself for ?
First time campers will sometimes leave with tears in their eyes. It is a difficult thing to be away from home that first time. It is not uncommon, however, most campers push on to camp and end up having a wonderful time.

It is almost guaranteed that campers will misplace some stuff during their stay here. Expect this to happen and avoid sending anything along that is irreplaceable.

Lost and found is always a tremendous task at camp. The YWCA can not be held responsible for the loss of any personal items. We have found a few tricks to make sure the things you bring to camp go home:

• Label everything with first and last name, use a permanent marker or sew-on labels
• Have the camper pack or help pack before camp
• Do not send expensive items to camp
• Do not send garbage bags (they all look alike and rip very easily)
• Ensure campers understand the importance of keeping things tidy and in order
• Pack a list of what you have sent
• If something is lost , we will store for 30 days then donated to Edmontonians in need, call YoWoChAs and we might be able to locate the item.
• Campers will also come back a little dirty, with some of their clothes a lot dirty. We try for a hands on, down and dirty connection with nature. This usually means dirty clothes and dirty campers.

* Campers "Things to Bring List"

Be prepared for big smiles and lots of stories. Although each camper may do the same activities at camp it is always surprising to hear what each camper thought the neatest thing at camp was!

Camp is an intense time filled with lots of activities, new experiences, and new friends. It is quite common for campers to go through a " post camp " down. They miss their new fiends, miss the activities and may find it hard to get back into the swing of things. Again, this is a common thing so don't worry, this too shall pass.

In our experience it is harder for the parents to struggle through their campers first experience than it is for the campers themselves. Please feel free to call us with any questions that you may have about the centre, the staff, or the activities that your child or children will be doing.