Before, after, always:
How overnight camp transforms kids

The path to finding independence is filled with uncertainties for parents and children alike. When Kiaan and Aryan’s parents trusted the brothers to chart their own course, the results were remarkable—both sons returned more self-assured and confident, and eager to go back.

There are plenty of parks near Kiaan and Aryan’s Greater Montreal home, but as their mom, Hinda, knows, “A park is not the same as being in the forest.”

She was surprised when her sons first asked about going to overnight camp, but they’d heard positive stories.

“We started doing our own research, talking with friends who had sent their children to camp,” says Hinda. “We heard how much they were transformed by the experience.”

What stood out the most was the independence: “Waking up in the morning and brushing their teeth without being told, taking care of themselves and not always being dependent on us.”

Aryan highlighted the canoe trip as an activity he’d never tried and was looking forward to. “I really want to learn how to go alone in the woods in a canoe,” he said before.

Aryan is “always comfortable talking,” Hinda says, but she was worried about Kiaan, who tends to be more anxious in new situations.

She’d heard about kids who went to camps and experienced bullying, and that made her and husband, Kit, anxious as they kept tabs on Nominingue's social media posts. “If they were not in the pictures, we worried. And if they were in pictures and looked a bit sad, I worried about that.”

They hoped Kiaan would get a boost in confidence. Nominingue delivered.

“I definitely saw that Kiaan talked more about camp than I expected him to,” she said. “I saw some confidence and reassurance in his eyes when I saw him come home the very first day.” That’s not to say there weren’t challenges.

The canoe trip Aryan was looking forward to hit a few snags. The tent the group brought with them was broken, so the director had to go back and get another one, leaving the boys waiting in the pouring rain for an hour. Then when the rain stopped, they were swarmed with mosquitoes.

But challenges were meant to be accepted, and the boys pushed through.

“He was proud of himself because he did it and he did everything,” Hinda says of Kiaan. “He’s not even nine years old. His older brother is already 10, and he did it.”

And, Aryan? He ran into his dad’s arms, already excited for next year—so much so he told his dad he wanted to stay for 26 days.

Being brave isn’t always about grandiose acts. For this shy 10-year-old, camp was about immersing herself in uncomfortable situations, learning to adapt, and finding her voice. Sometimes kids just need a fresh environment.

“It was a bit scary at first, but it got easier the more I tried.”

That was how Brooke described her experience with paddleboarding, but it could just as easily be about her overall camp experience.

“She’d never been at an overnight camp before and had had a rough year with bullying,” explains her mom, Emma. “Brooke had lost a lot of confidence.”

That made it difficult for Emma to let go of her daughter, but Brooke herself convinced her mom it would be okay.

And in the end, it was more than okay. The week Brooke spent at camp, on the shores of Georgian Bay, was exactly what she needed to heal and grow at this pivotal stage in her young life.

What she found at Camp Presqu’ile was an attentive, supportive staff who created an environment where she could feel safe—and feel comfortable enough to push herself.

Out on the lake, Brooke stepped out of her comfort zone by trying stand-up paddleboarding.

Archery was another activity that started out hard and remained a challenge. It wasn’t one of Brooke’s favourite activities, but that’s okay in a camp environment where kids are encouraged and supported to try new things, regardless of the outcome.

But Emma was most anxious about how her daughter would do in social situations. She was also anxious about the lack of contact with Brooke—not only worried about being away from her, but about how she would do.

But her daughter persevered, even if she didn’t immediately love every part of camp. For example, she wasn’t crazy about the rowdy, all-camp chants that would fill the dining hall. But she grew to like them. Now, she says, “I still do them at home.”

In her cabin group, Brooke found counsellors who encouraged her by sharing their own camp experiences and fellow campers who soon became friends.

Now that it’s done, Brooke is already looking forward to the next one. And the friends she made? “We have made plans to meet up there, the same time next year.”

Is a six-year-old too young for overnight camp? Anushka’s family learned first-hand that “baby steps” can themselves be transformative journeys. She returned from camp feeling 10 feet tall.

Anushka looked forward to her first summer camp experience as only a six-year-old can: with excitement, curiosity—and healthy trepidation.

Now, she’s back from her time in the "Bunnies" program at Glen Bernard Camp—a two-night overnight program for the camp’s youngest campers.

Her favourite part was the Slip 'N Slide and roasting marshmallows—but her experience was bigger than that.

For both young children and their families, a program like this is an early dose of everything that comes with a summer camp experience. From preparation and packing, to saying goodbye and going away, to making new friends and discovering new experiences, it’s an ideal appetizer.

Shortly before leaving, Anushka was excited and happy to be heading off to camp. Maiko, her mother, was looking forward to Anushka gaining new experiences, along with opportunities for active and creative play.

This was new for both of them. Maiko admits she wouldn’t have considered it if it weren’t for the recommendation of a fellow parent at Anushka’s school.

She was grateful for the option of a brief—but comprehensive—camp experience. Sending her away for a week would’ve been too long, but two nights, three days felt just right.

Maiko was confident in Anushka, aided also by the fact that she was going with a friend. “She makes friends easily,” she says. “As long as she is able to ask for help, it will be fine. Hopefully she sleeps well, that’s all!”

Back from her short stay at Glen Bernard Camp, both feel it was a success. Not only did Anushka enjoy bunking, she learned to sleep on the top bunk. Playing out in the lake was scary at first, but she soon learned that once she gets in she’s fine. “I feel like a big girl now,” she says. Overcoming hurdles like these seem miniscule to older campers who have "been there, done that," but Anushka’s tiny triumphs are monumental stepping stones to bigger accomplishments in later years at camp and in life.

Even the most confident kids have room to grow. Rachel’s first-time camp adventure brought some physical challenges and friendships that could last a lifetime—all in one week. Those seven days will be with her for years to come.

Not everyone’s nervous about their first overnight summer camp. Some kids, like Rachel, are raring to go.

She’s one of those 10-year-olds with no shortage of confidence. Now that she’s reached an age where she can take full advantage of everything camp offers, her mom was ready to send her to camp.

For Kate, it’s about seeing her daughter develop into a confident, resilient young woman, having that cornerstone experience of camp where she learns independence and creates memories that shape her character.

“I just want her to have that quintessential summer camp experience,” she says. More specifically, “The independence, the different activities, exposure to new things, a full week outside—the whole thing.”

In the lead-up to her week at Camp Muskoka, Rachel’s mind was full of plans and visions. Her attitude was: bring it on. (It helped that her mom was the on-site medical doctor for the week.) “There’s probably going to be a lot of yummy s’mores,” said the excited first-time camper.

Fast forward to the days following her return from camp, and she’s overflowing with stories.

Rachel is a perfect case study of how much growth even the most confident child can go through in just one week at camp.

There was ziplining across the lake. There were newfound freedoms and responsibilities. And there were big opportunities to push herself, physically and emotionally. In paintball, Rachel was the only girl her age to give it a try: “I got a welt on my leg but it was still fun.”

In horseback riding, she “was worried about falling off the horse, at first.... I ended up enjoying it, and I didn’t fall off.”

Speaking to her after camp, you get the sense that she’s taken a big, decisive step outside of her comfort zone. The memorable adventures she had aren’t the only thing that will stay with her. “You get to make more friends,” she says. “Then you can get them on Messenger Kids and stay in touch.”

Rachel made these friends on her own terms, in her own way. They may well be with her for a long time to come. Camp friendships—even starting at this young age—have been known to last for years, or even decades.

For older kids, summer camp offers an adventure away from home and a big step into the unknown. Especially in the teen years, it can be an exciting taste of self-discovery, offering pivotal experiences both thrilling and daunting and creating potentially lifelong friendships.

“The whole camp was amazing. If I had to change anything about it—like, I wouldn’t,” he said.

Speaking with Oliver a few days after getting back from camp—and still a tired teen from the experience—you get the sense something significant has changed. He’s hooked.

As a summer camp alum herself, his mom Catherine had strong feelings about it all along. “This is kind of a rite of passage.” For her, kids need to experience “all that outdoor stuff, all the bugs, and sleeping in tents.” And then there’s learning to get along with the people you’re sharing those tents with.

“Every kid should have a chance to do this!” she says. “It changes them.”

Camp is a space free from the constraints of home, as she knows. It’s not just exchanging bricks and mortar for trees and campfires. Kids find their own voice, free of parental input.

“It all comes down to that individuation,” she says. “Who are they, really, when they’re free to express themselves?”

Oliver left for camp with the uncertainty any young teen has—unsure how he’d fit in with a group of strangers far away from home. That washed away over two weeks at camp.

Asked how he feels looking ahead to next summer, Oliver expresses a hint of that uncertainty still, but only because he wants to challenge himself anew. Next year, he’ll be old enough for the one-month program, even though it feels like a lot now. “I’m not sure I’m ready—but by next summer, I might be.”

Looking back, he wishes his days as a camper had started sooner.

“I wanted to go last year, but we didn’t know when to sign up and we missed the sign-up date,” says Oliver. “I wish I could have gone then or even the year before, so I could have gotten this experience and done it throughout the rest of the years that I could have been a camper.”