Our Kids Camp & Program Reviews

That experience itself can be transformative, though the goal, as the name implies, is to help young people take the next step toward their personal goals, that is, creating a portfolio that will help gain acceptance to post-secondary animation program. And they do. “You have NO idea how long I've wanted to type out this email,” wrote a past camper to his instructors after gaining a place at Sheridan College. “It feels as unreal as it sounds … You and Garth both gave me a proper start in this huge (and mildly painful) journey and I would've never been able to finally come to this point without your help.” In that, and much else, it's a one-of-a-kind program with a lot to recommend it. 

Indeed, that’s exactly what BrainTech is about. While we can easily get caught up in the stuff—the tech resources on hand—it is ultimately just the tools used to get at something greater: nurturing curiosity and the instinct to seek solutions. It’s about education, but it’s also about more than that, including the values of ethical and empathic leadership and cooperation. The programs are hands-on, promoting of an array of behaviours and skills—including effective, spirited communication and collaboration—that build facility with core literacies and their application. There’s real science, but there’s real fun, too, conducted within a setting of true peers, namely kids who share the same passions and speak, as it were, the same language. Summer sessions can be nicely augmented by those offered throughout the year, including afterschool and during key holidays. Extended hours are offered, which is a nice nod to what parents need, namely a bit of flexibility from time to time.
 

What made Statten’s programs unique was the focus that he brought to them. In place of the regimented, sum-is-better-than-its-parts approach of scouting and cadets, Statten built programs around the individual, seeking to develop each child’s potential and to celebrate their individual strengths. Camping in Statten’s hands was about expression, independence, and an appreciation of the diversity inherent in any group. Adventure and resourcefulness were important, but so was imagination, identity, and a close appreciation the natural environment.

In 1916, Statten put his ideas into practice by founding Camp Ahmek, a camp for boys set within the boundaries of Algonquin park. The centerpiece of the camp, then as now, was the stone fireplace in the main hall, one that Tom Thomson helped build, hauling sand for the mortar that would bind the stones. Pierre Trudeau would sit before that fireplace as a camper, as did all three of his sons. Justin Trudeau, in speaking of camp, described his experience, giving what is, effectively, a précis of Statten’s initial vision: “[camp] had an immeasurable impact on my family and me. For my father, my brothers and I, being campers and counsellors at Ahmek taught us much about nature, about responsibility, and, most importantly, about ourselves.”

Wapomeo, a sister camp to Ahmek, followed in 1924 and, taken together, the two camps provided a model for many, many camps to come that, in turn, reflected the organization and the values that Ahmek and Wapomeo had demonstrated.

It’s quite a story, in every way, and one that continues today. These two camps provide a definition of the culture of camping in Canada, and that’s because they provided a model for so many of them, as well as the great work they continue to do.