Power in Numbers

People ask me why I belong to the Ontario Camps Association and I say because not only are they a great resource, as a whole we do have pull with the government. Thanks to Howie Grossinger and Dave Graham for helping us to stop Transport Canada from making us register our fleets of canoes.

 

Please see the letter below.

 

Dear OCA Members,

  

On Thursday, March 17, in Calgary, OCA Board Member and CCA/ACC Ontario representative Dave Graham and I attended a private meeting with The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. 

  

We were then joined by Alberta Camping Association President Laureen Wray and CCA/ACC Alberta representative Kathy Koehler at a press conference to announce the immediate suspension of registration requirements for canoes & kayaks. 

  

This announcement came as a result of the efforts of a great many of our members who wrote letters of concern to their Members of Parliament. These letters resulted in Transport Canada contacting the OCA which allowed us the opportunity to voice our concerns not only on behalf of camping in Ontario but across the country.  

  

At yesterday's press conference the Minister announced the following: "Owners of human-powered vessels, such as canoes, kayaks and small sailing vessels, as well as small vessels with motors less than 7.5 kilowatts (10 horsepower) will not have to register their craft with Transport Canada".  The Minister went on to say that the voice of camping was important and influential in this policy change because he felt that "Camping Associations in Canada set the standard for boating safety in Canada". To view the media release click here.  

  

To view the statements made by Transport Canada Minister Chuck Strahl and on our behalf, Laureen Wray, President, Alberta Camping Association click here.   

  

I would once again like to thank all of you for your assistance in gaining the resolution we were all seeking.This is a great example of the positive influence the OCA can have when we work together. 

  

On behalf of Heather, myself and the Board of Directors,

  

Thank you

  

  

Here is the statement issued at the press conference.

Thank you to Minister Strahl and his office for inviting us here today.

Canadian camping impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands of children each summer and is as Canadian as the canoe itself.

The Canadian Camping Association/Association des Camps du Canada is a federation of 9 provincial camp associations representing over 700 children's summer camps across our country, including over 100 in Alberta alone. Summer camps in Canada deliver services to children of all abilities, ethnic origin and financial capability. They include day and overnight experiences, municipal and religiously affiliated programs as well as agency and privately-owned camps.

Accredited camps in each province dedicate themselves to high standards of operation in the areas of risk management, health and safety, and program delivery. These standards have been developed by provincial camps associations in conjunction with federal, provincial and municipal governments and have made the safety record of Canadian camps the envy of the world.

For generations, Canadians have learned to canoe and kayak at summer camp.  The Canada Shipping Act, 2001 had the potential to seriously impact the ability of our members to provide the high quality programs that they are known worldwide for by unnecessarily over regulating camp operators and burdening them with the red tape associated with an extensive registration process for their canoe and kayak fleets.

We are grateful to the Minister and Transport Canada for listening and responding to the concerns of the camp industry. This announcement today will allow accredited summer camps in Canada to continue to concentrate on the issues that matter most to Canadian parents who send their children to summer camp; skill development, the enhancement of self-esteem, community building and appreciation of the outdoors.

Self-Esteem & Body Image

As a youth, I always struggled with positive body image and poor self-esteem. It may have been due to rapid vertical growth and not enough horizontal growth or it could have been due to been a victim of bullying throughout grade school. Whatever caused it, I did not seem my self as attractive until university. My confidence in my abilities grew and how I saw myself in the mirror grew too. My parents always stood by me and helped me to see myself in a brighter light but to get out from under my childhood comfort zone is what really did it.

As a Camp Director, I see many girls come in through the gate as timid, shy, nervous wrecks, some with diagnosed eating disorders, some with disordered eating practices, and some with media pressured eating concerns.  Body image today is focused on by many professionals but unfortunately the media does nothing to help. Every take a critical look at a magazine - say Vogue? What do you see? Gaunt, skinny, pale models with nothing but a skeleton holding onto the clothes on their back. Is this what we want for our kids? Girls and boys? Are we crazy to keep buying these rags? Of course we are, but some how that market still wins.

Nedic, National Eating Disorder Information Center, is hosting its body image conference this year in Toronto, Ontario. If you know of anyone who is suffering from a problem or you hold a position of authority at a youth or adult organization, I recommend that you attend this wonderful program.  I truly believe that the more people who are educated, the better off we will all be.  Along with Nedic, Dove Self-Esteem Fund is helping to sponsor this two day conference. I currently use the Dove Self-Esteem Fund program to educate my staff and campers on body image issues that arise. No matter who I am teaching whether it is 22 year old staff or 9 year old campers, at least one person will admit to having a low self-esteem and/or disordered eating. It never fails, year after year I find myself sitting in my cabin having a dietary and confidence talk with at least one member of our community.  When they leave camp, though their disorder is never fully cured, they have a realization that they do have the ability to try new things and that people come in a range of shapes and sizes.

Help us help others by avoiding the purchase of fashion magazines and supporting the designers who choose to use skinny, gaunt models. Encourage these designers and models to promote healthy lifestyles.

The Benefits of Camp

You think to yourself, why camp? It's nothing but a bunch of kids roaming around the outdoors supposedly having fun. Or perhaps you had a terrible experience at camp as a child and you do not want your child to feel the way you did.

Remember there are many different reasons parents balk at the idea of sending their kids away to an overnight program. However, you cannot get around one very important aspect - Camp helps encourage independence and self-awareness.  As a parent and a former teacher, I see every day how kids are affected by new experiences.  The kids that were in my classes who attended camp were far more outgoing than the kids who did not. They were more put together, had better cooperative and communication skills and were not afraid of getting down and dirty with science, nature and the outdoors.

Camp not only helps the internal voice of youth today but it encourages them to have confidence in their choices and thus to make positive efforts in their education and lives.

Check out this video put together by the American Camps Association.  You too will see what camp has done for those in Hollywood and beyond.

Hooked on Life

Just this evening my husband and I watched "Hook" directed by Steven Spielberg, music by John Williams made in 1991 starring Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams. This marks the 50th time (I'm guessing) I have seen the movie and the first for my husband. What a joy it is. I have to say that as a new mom of a toddler, I have a different perspective of the film than when I first watched it in the theatres in '91.

To give you a synopsis of the movie, it stars Mr. Williams as a workaholic with no sense of freedom or fun left in his life. He is father to Jack and Maggie and husband to Moira, Wendy's granddaughter.  Mr. Williams must revisit his "childhood" when Jack and Maggie are kidnapped by JAS Hook.  He returns to Neverland to find out who he really is. For those of you who have not seen this movie, I thoroughly recommend it.  Here's the trailer.

I am not an avid movie watcher, nor do I have the time to watch these 3 hour long movies we have today. However, I do enjoy watching a good story.  Hook is approximately 2 hours long and is filled with sentimental values, tear jerking moments and quirky Robin comments. It is great for all ages.

As for its relationship with camp....well it's all said in - "We have a kid in all of us."  Camp gives everyone of all ages a chance to get back to our innocence. As an adult we have a tendency to lose our imaginations, sense of creativity and willingness to get crazy. Camp gives us this chance to remind kids that their childhoods and memories are of utmost importance.

In today's world, with all the media exposure, kids are forced to grow up too fast. In my experience, most 13 year olds don't play with toys or dolls, don't run around the forest and make up stories or explore their surroundings....that is until they come to camp. Camp is where anything can happen. Camp is Neverland!

Take time to let your kids explore their youth and opportunities where they learn but don't have to grow up. They don't have to make difficult choices or worry about failure, they can just be.