Opportunities for Boys at Go Guys summer camp

Aug 04, 2011

Photo: camp leaders Charity Garey and Perry Chafe and some of the Go Guys campers 

Deemed a success by participants and organizers alike, the first ever summer Go Guys day camp run by Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) wrapped up on July 29 at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team with an impromptu party for campers and staff.

Approximately nine participants, who included students from Land O' Lakes, Prince Charles and Sharbot Lake public schools as well as students from Sharbot Lake High School, shared their stories and experiences from their one-week camp experience. The day camp offered up a number of activities and day trips designed specifically to fill a gap in summer community programming for male youth ages 11-15.

NFCS youth coordinator, Charity Garey, led the camp and was assisted by volunteer Perry Chafe. The week began with an “Amazing Race” type of scavenger hunt that had the boys assisting Freshmart shoppers with their groceries, as well as swimming and tidying up at Oso beach in Sharbot Lake. Tuesday’s schedule included bowling in Kingston along with a trip to the Communications and Electronics Museum there, where the boys learned about the “very cool” types of military communications during wartime.

Later in the week campers swam at the Perth Pool and also visited the Hell Hole Caves near Centreville. The week ended with an educational and interactive pioneer day courtesy of Sharbot Lake resident Mike Procter, who demonstrated various pioneer tools and skills to the campers.

Don Amos, executive director of NFCS, was very pleased with the day camp’s success. He said, “While there are a lot of programs we offer during the school year, this camp is our first successful step in running summer programming for males of this age group and it’s proving to be very successful.”

Funding for the camp was provided by a two-year Trillium Grant to NFCS, which will allow the camp to run for another year next summer. “The camp gives these youngsters a chance to make lasting relationships that will likely carry into high school. It also gives them a boost in their self-esteem and helps them to expand their vision by providing them with opportunities to learn new skills while also exposing them to new experiences and ideas. We're hoping to see 12-15 boys back again next year, and judging from the feedback we're getting, the program has been a great success.” The same Trillium grant will also enable NFCS to continue offering programming to these same youth throughout the school year on a monthly or weekly basis. “Part of the proposal put forth by the NFCS Board of Directors is that this type of programming will continue, which means that we will definitely be touching base with these campers throughout the year to keep the positive momentum we started at the camp going,” Amos said.

Kyle Riley, a student at Land O'Lakes Public School, loved his first ever day camp experience. “The best part of it was getting rid of a lot of fears that I had had. I jumped off a diving board for the first time and I also made a lot of new friends that I would not have otherwise made. I also helped a young boy when we visited the Hell Hole caves, who was really scared. I helped convince him that it wasn't really that scary at all.”

Jackson Crain, a former student at Hinchinbrooke Public School who will be attending SLHS in September, said he would “not hesitate for a second” to participate again as a camper next year. “The name of the program doesn't even come close to describing the kind of experience we all had and a lot of what we did are things that I would never have been able to do otherwise.”

It was coordinator Charity Garey's first time working with these youth in an extended day camp setting. “It was a lot of fun, very busy and quite an adventure. By providing something special, unique and specific to these boys, we are giving them opportunities to grow, and learn and develop.”

Judging from the enthusiasm of the campers it seems obvious that Go Guys Day Camp is doing just exactly what it set out to do. For more information contact Charity Garey at 613-279-2244