Self Esteem

Confidence comes from knowing you can do what you set your mind to do. Camp inspires youth by tailoring challenges and goals for each participant to accomplish and build upon during the camp session.

Healthy Lifestyles

Campers are well looked after. They eat well and get plenty of exercise. Confidence and leadership activities teach campers about self-respect, having respect for others and making healthy personal choices.

Role-Modeling

Camp staff, guest speakers and peer campers arrive at camp with unique talents, diverse backgrounds and personalities. Each one is a role model.

Relationship Building

Camp is an opportunity for campers to create friendships from across the Territory. They will encourage each other to become involved in school and community activities which promote travel and exchange opportunities.

Outdoor Skills

Camp offers a variety of outdoor activities led by qualified professionals, including: water and wildlife safety, all levels of swimming, canoeing, group sports, nature study and overnight camping.

Travel

Camp are located in different communities across the NWT. What a tremendous opportunity to experience the diverse regions of the NWT.

Independence

Most campers will have had few, if any, experiences living away from home. By developing their independent living and social skills, campers will be better able to manage their responsibilities and emotions – especially for those who will attend high school, university, college, or travel and work in larger communities, down south or overseas.

Fun

Having fun is an important part of life. Going to camp is an exciting event that campers look forward to and enjoy.

Cultivate New Skills & Talents

Campers have multiple activities to choose from and are encouraged to try out new activities and develop their many talents.

Safety is our #1 concern

Camps have low camper to staff ratio of approximately 5 campers to 1 staff member. All campers are provided with safety talks covering wildlife and bear safety, water safety, land travel safety, and activity specific safety.

Camp staff have RCMP vulnerable persons criminal records checks, are trained in First aid and CPR, and have the skills and qualifications for the activities that they are leading. We take time and care in hiring our excellent staff to ensure they are fully qualified for our camps and ensure that they are trained on our policies and procedures prior to any camp.

There is no cost for youth to attend our camps and workshops.

The actual cost of camps is significantly higher. Through fundraising and thanks to our sponsors we are able to subsidize this cost.

Before-camp

Be supportive of your child’s camp adventure. For many campers going to camp is an exciting, but also daunting experience. If your child is anxious about the time away, reassure them that camp will be fun. You can also make the trip more comfortable by:

• Going over all camp information together. This will help your child understand anything they are unsure about. Your enthusiasm for all the fun things they will be doing and all of the friends they will make will surely add to their excitement.

• Pack a special surprise in your child’s luggage. This could be a note, a funny family photo, a book to read or something your child can share with other campers. A journal to record their camp memories is a great gift they will treasure for years to come.

• Try out some of the activities ahead of time. If your child is afraid of canoeing, take them out yourself so they can experience it for the first time with you. This will build their self confidence.

• Finally, don’t forget to send them off with excitement and a positive attitude.

During camp

Sometimes camp is hard on parents and guardians because they miss their kids. It’s a lot easier for your child to get used to camp and have more fun if they are not always thinking of home. For many campers, being away from home is a challenging experience – at first!

NYL recommends that parents and guardians not contact their child unless there is an emergency.

• Campers do not have phones in their rooms or access to computers for email/Facebook etc.

• Cell phone use by campers is not permitted while they are at camp.

After camp

Discuss camp with your child. Ask them what they learned and experienced. Young people are gifted in so many ways and camp is an opportunity to discover new talents and develop old ones. To continue growth experience, you may want to register your child in other programs available in your community or through Northern Youth.