The YES is a truly unique summer camp. We focus on developing a transformational community, strong friendships, and our staff and volunteers are passionate and dedicated role models for the youth who attend.

In addition to the many activities you may expect from other summer camps, such as a campfire, field games, canoeing and swimming, we also offer entertaining and engaging workshops focused on themes such as communication, self-awareness, and leadership. The Youth Excellence Society is focused on bringing out the best in everyone, and creating a safe and inclusive environment that empowers youth from all over BC.

Click here for more information on programming, and testimonials.

The cost of the program is $900.00 for one week. This fee is already subsidized by funding from BC’s Credit Unions.

For more information on payments, please see our Camp Policies.

Please do not sign your child up for more than one week in a summer. If you do sign up for multiple weeks, we will be in touch to support that cancellation of one.

The reason why we do not accept multiple week registrations is to ensure that we leave space in our programs so as many other BC youth can attend. Secondly, when you leave one of our camps, a really strong community is formed and it may be challenging to step into an unformed group for another week. For these reasons, we kindly ask that you sign up for one camp/summer.

Yes! We have many sponsors from around BC who send youth from their membership or communities to camp each summer. To see a list of our sponsors, click here. Each sponsor has a different process for selecting participants, so please get in touch with sponsors in your community to find out more.

The YES also offers subsidies to participants who require additional support due to financial hardship. In order to access partial subsidies please fill out the form here.

We accept 13 year old participants if they have finished Grade 8. If they are just finishing Grade 7, they will need to wait another year.

The YES is a volunteer based organization and as such is not eligible for BCCA accreditation. However, we do closely monitor BCCA standards and adhere to their policies wherever possible.

Please refer to our Camp Policies for refunds. Please note that all camp cancellations are subject to a $50.00 non-refundable fee.

If you don’t receive a copy of your receipt, please contact the office to have one sent. The office can be reached by calling us at 604.960.1377 or e-mailing info@theyes.ca

The YES summer camp program currently operates out of the CLEC (Cowichan Lake Education Centre) located on Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island (for a map, click here). Learn about this location's beauty and benefits here. Our fall Reunion program is currently located at Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat Centre in Maple Ridge (for a map, click here).

Take time to review all information concerning the week of camp including the typical day at camp and the camper code of conduct. Feel free to browse our website and our Facebook or check out this camp-inspired video by a past participant. If you would benefit from a conversation with a volunteer staff member or current participant, let us know and we’d be happy to set something up. We also have a great blog post on home-sickness and camp preperation here.

Week-long camps typically between 50-70 youth with 15 staff members.

Any participant experiencing homesickness will receive support and guidance from one of our skilled staff members. We also encourage that guardians prepare your child as much as possible for camp and take the steps to ease any concerns. Our experience is that if your child is having a good time and feeling secure, they will not need to call home during the week. It is helpful when parents and guardians don’t require that participants call home as it can sometimes encourage homesickness. You can learn more about how to support home-sickness here.

Please refer to our Camp Policies for more information.

The YES welcomes all youth to attend our programs. We receive youth from all types of backgrounds and from over 90 communities throughout BC. If you have particular needs or barriers, please be in touch, we’d love to talk to you about how to best include you in our programs.