Camp Tapawingo, YWCA: Parent Interview with Anu and Ken Clark

Watch our Parent interview with Anu and Ken Clark to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Camp Tapawingo, YWCA.

Transcript of the interview

What were you looking for when searching for camps?

Anu

I would say a safe, supportive, inclusive environment, and we got that at Camp Tapawingo.

Camp Tapawingo had a really great, welcoming introduction-to-camping night in Toronto, which is where we live. By going there, we got to see so many counselors. We saw the camp director. The slideshow was narrated, and it was just a lovely, welcoming experience, and it gave us a flavour of what the camp was all about.

Ken

Camp Tapawingo was also the traditional camp experience: playing games outdoors, meeting people, fire pits, canoeing, and all that kind of stuff. So I think that's what we were looking for.

What’s unique about the program at Camp Tapawingo that made you want to enroll your children there?

Ken

Camp Tapawingo is an all-girls’ camp. I think that was unique. That was something that resonated with us.

I would say it’s the wide breadth of activities. They were things that they don’t normally get to do around here. All of the water sports and water activities were great. So just giving them exposure to activities they wouldn’t normally be exposed to in a regular setting, that’s what I would say.

Anu

I felt like Camp Tapawingo was one of the very few that had campers of all sorts of different identities in their photos. When I was looking for a camp, we looked at a whole bunch across Ontario or Southern Ontario. Being a racialized family, we found that that was pretty important to us. I just wanted our kids to be comfortable. We’re not there with them, and I wanted to make sure that they felt like they belonged, and that was certainly the case.

Even some of the staff were racialized, and that really helped us because we never grew up with camps. It’s something we would have liked to have done, but it wasn’t in the realm of possibility when we were younger. So the fact that they were able to participate in something that was so inclusive and they really had that sense of belonging made us feel really comfortable.

It’s also a break from us. At this stage in their lives, we pretty much program every aspect of their lives, right? Their extracurriculars, we’re taking them, and then school, and obviously they get a say in what they do, but the independence from that time at camp is so valuable. I really like how they dictate what they’re going to do that day, and they make decisions, and they collaborate with their friends about what they’re going to do and what activities they’ll participate in. And I really like their sort of personal growth as a result of that.

They also have things like rock climbing.

What would you highlight about Camp Tapawingo’s programming or counselors?

Ken

All the counselors at Camp Tapawingo, as well as the senior counselors and management, were really good, positive role models. They were very enthusiastic and motivated when they were running the activities. They gave the kids options and didn’t really dictate to them what they wanted, but they were really encouraging cooperation and collaboration in terms of the activities that they wanted. I think the whole experience gave them a sense of freedom, and that really helped enhance the overall experience for them.

Anu

There’s a real push towards independence. For example, when our kids came home, they talked about the Sunday program where the kids all gather on this big granite rock, and they talk about being able to set goals and how you can do anything you want to do. So there’s this real, encouraging, motivating message in a completely non-denominational way, which is also very important to us.

That really resonated and made me feel like it’s not just about being outdoorsy and doing all the activities. It’s a real culture where they connect with kids who have similar interests, and the counselors are really, really wonderful role models.

They have a newsletter that we read every so often, and they have updates about where the counselors are. They’re just these superstar young women who are really doing fantastic things. They’re studying in so many different disciplines all over the world, and it just seems like it’s such a great experience for our girls to get to know leaders like them.

What do your children like best or find most exciting about Camp Tapawingo?

Anu

They loved it at Camp Tapawingo. You hear from popular movies and TV about kids dreading going to camp. That wasn’t the case with our kids at all. We camp as a family, going to provincial parks and whatnot, so they were familiar with that kind of experience, like tent camping.

When they were introduced to the idea of an overnight camp in cabins with other girls, they were super excited about it. That intro night that I was telling you about and all those photos really helped them conceptualize what it would be like. So they were very excited about going in, and then the experience was great.

Ken

Overall, it was very positive. We sent them there for a week, and they came back asking to be sent for multiple weeks. It was the highlight of the whole year. They absolutely love it.

When and how did you know that Camp Tapawingo was the right fit for your children?

Ken

I would say it was right after they came back. We had concerns and reservations, obviously, about sending them away for a week. But when we picked them up from the bus, they were so happy, and they had a million and one stories to tell us and experiences that we hadn’t even thought about. It was like, “Yeah, this is the right place to send them.”

Camp Tapawingo is a great environment. They love it. And they’re being exposed to so many things, all of our kids’ expectations and more.

Anu

It’s not just a job for the people who work there. They really, truly love it, and it shows, and the kids pick up on that too. So they just loved it so much.

Was there any change or noticeable personal growth that you saw in your children after their time at Camp Tapawingo?

Anu

I think the message of empowerment that they got that Sunday right before they left stayed with them. It really showed them that they were around people who’ve achieved so much, and they spent an entire week with people, making friends. I think it really put that message in their minds that they could really do anything, and they were independent.

In terms of whether I saw immediate growth, I can’t think of a particular instance that would make me think that they did, but the sheer amount of experience that they gained in such a short amount of time—I mean, how could that not change you?

I would say they were very tired when they got home from all their swimming and everything that they did, staying up late with their friends and whatnot.

Ken

I think they were also more open to different things because they had been exposed to so many experiences. So they came back with more of a willingness and acceptance of trying new things.

They were also exposed to different people, people whom they wouldn’t normally see in their schools. So just that type of exposure is what I would say was long-term growth.

If you hadn’t sent your children to Camp Tapawingo, what’s the most important personal growth that they would’ve missed out on?

Ken

I would say being surrounded by all these really good examples of role models and women. I think that would have been a tragedy had they not been exposed to that.

They saw what possible options exist for them in the future, not even specifically related to camp, but careers, universities, different walks of life, and different lifestyles. So I think that would have been a big thing that would have been missing had they not been to camp.

Anu

I would say it’s more tangible skills. Where would they learn to sail if they hadn’t been to camp? And there’s all the paddling they do and the swimming and everything. So there are some real skills that they picked up that they would not have been exposed to if it were up to us to introduce them to things.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of this camp?

Ken

I think constantly enrolling them in Camp Tapawingo year over year is a great way we can support them. Also, being engaged with what types of activities they like to do and what they learned from camp.

Throughout the year, when they get birthday cards and Christmas cards, and when some of the counselors came during the pandemic to say hello, just supporting that and encouraging that and asking our girls what they think of the whole experience, whether they’re at home or at Camp Tapawingo. So I think those are different ways we can support them.

Anu

I would add that being engaged throughout the year, even when they’re not physically at camp, is important. They did virtual programs, like virtual arts and crafts. And there’s a fundraiser that happens, like a bowl-a-thon, and all those things. We can do better to keep engaged throughout the year to really build that excitement for those weeks that they’re at camp in the summer.

How would you describe Camp Tapawingo to another parent?

Ken

Camp Tapawingo is a great, supportive environment that exposes children to new experiences and activities. There are positive role models. They get to meet girls from all over the country, as well as the world. There are people who come in from outside of Canada.

It’s a very nurturing environment, very supportive, and it’s very collaborative. It allows our girls to be leaders and figure out what it is that they want to do day to day. So it gives them a little bit of independence and freedom.

Anu

I would stress the inclusiveness. Camp Tapawingo is a different camp because it is YWCA. It’s really different from a privately owned camp somewhere in Muskoka, where you’re really seeing one type of family or child. At Camp Tapawingo, you get people from all different spheres.

I feel like there’s a lot more diversity there than I’ve seen through brochures and websites of other camps and from what I’ve heard from some of my friends who have their kids in camps as well. That reason alone is a big draw for me about Camp Tapawingo.

What do your children say about the camp?

Anu

Camp Tapawingo is the highlight of their lives. It kind of hurts a little bit because they’re so happy to be apart from us. But when you really think about all the different experiences that they have there, it makes me really proud that I could provide that experience for them.