Eoin Wood and Jennifer Jupp, Director
Over 45 years combined experience
Eoin Wood (Woody)
Summer camp has been an invaluable part of my life. For over 30 years I’ve been involved with children’s camping in Ontario. I’ve been a camper, counsellor, section head, instructor, canoe trip leader, program director and director (including directing Camp Wanapitei from 1997-1999). From 2000 – 2005 I was part of a directing team at Camp Arowhon in Algonquin Park and also the Camp Arowhon Outdoor Education Centre with my wife JJ (Jennifer Jupp) – my Co-Director at Wanapitei. I’ve sat on the board of directors for the Ontario Camps Association (OCA), presented various topics at OCA conferences over the years as well as at the International Camping Congress in Quebec City. More recently I have taken a position on the board of directors for the Society of Camp Directors, a collection of camp directing professionals based in Toronto.
Summer camp for me has become a family affair. Our daughter Anna began her camping career at the age of three weeks; she will be 14 before the start of this summer and our son Charlie moved to camp at 4 months old; he will be 7 this summer. Both JJ and I have been involved with summer camp since early childhood and we have seen first hand the amazing benefits that summer camp can have on children and I am thrilled to be sharing that with my family.
For many people unfamiliar with canoe tripping the decision to send your child(ren) to camp can feel daunting. After all it may be very unfamiliar territory for both you and your child coupled with the general anxiety of being a parent and entrusting your child(ren) to others – we all recognize this as an important thing to do in our child’s development but it doesn’t make it any easier. The truth is there are few things in life that provide the framework for building the strong leaders of tomorrow than canoe trips. Without question the life skills that campers acquire by being on a Wanapitei canoe trip are instrumental in developing a strong sense of community, self confidence and passion for the wilderness. Wanapitei provides fantastic canoe trips, great adventures, highly skilled and compassionate leaders, life long friendships and the tools to succeed in developing caring and compassionate people. It truly is a place where genders learn to grow up together and respect one another. We are simply passionate about canoe tripping and all that it provides.
See you on the shores of Lake Temagami!
Jennifer Jupp (JJ)
Summer Camp has been the single largest and most consistent focus in my life (personally and professionally) since I was 9-years-old and attended an overnight camp for the first time. Since that summer, I have literally counted the days from camp’s end in September until camp begins again in the late spring. 2018 marks my 10th summer directing at Wanapitei; I have been directing other Ontario Summer Camps for over 15 years. (Camp Arowhon, and YMCA-YWCA of Guelph Nagiwa). I am lucky to have attended, and presented at, several professional conferences on a wide variety of topics as the camping profession requires us to have many diverse areas of expertise! My work as a professional facilitator in the corporate world has focused on diversity training, team building, and work culture transformation. To this end, I have had the pleasure of working with: The City of Guelph, Regional Municipality of York, Shared Value Solutions Ltd, Camp Wenonah, and St. Christopher’s Church (Burlington, ON). I also have a specialized teaching degree in Outdoor and Experiential Education and worked as an outdoor and environmental education high school teacher off and on for 14 years. I have a deep passion for, and a commitment to, learning and growth in the out-of-doors.
My goal in life is to create an emotionally and physically safe place for children and adults to become and to belong. I know for sure that canoe tripping is the ideal vehicle for creating this kind of safety. I believe strongly that the way to make a difference in this world is to positively influence the way we relate to one another. To this end, I want to create a world where people are highly tolerant of others despite differences – where people lead others with confidence and humility – and where people love and cherish the earth. I believe that we are doing this at Camp Wanapitei along with fostering a robust, healthy sense of adventure and an impressive, high-level of competence in the out-of-doors.
