A Typical Day at YES Camp

The YES Camp is our week long, overnight, summer programming that is packed with fun from drop off to pick up! This page gives you a detailed layout of what to expect for a typical day at camp. You can read about more about our activities here as well!

While the flow of the day is similar for Pathways and Roots camps, Pathways is the next step up from our Roots programs. Pathways participants take on greater responsibility, especially in Crews, and are challenged to expand their leadership, self-awareness, and team-building skills during Sessions.

Morning

Each morning, we begin the day at 8:30 A.M. by gathering as a community for a roll call and some speed meeting, helping everyone get to know each other.

At 9:00 A.M., we eat breakfast in the main hall and outer deck. Each meal is served buffet style by the Cowichan Lake Education Center kitchen staff. During the hour allotted for breakfast there is time to eat, shower if you need to, or play a quick game of ultimate or soccer.

At 10:00 A.M. each morning, we meet for a staff member's Thought of the Day before we head to our Session. Each day we cover a different topic including self-awareness, communication, co-operation, inclusion, and leadership. Sessions are developed with a mix of learning styles in mind and incorporate reflection, group activity, active movements, and more.

Early Afternoon

After session, we go for our first swim of the day! Jump into the lake, make friendship bracelets by the beach, or simply enjoy the sun and a chat!

At 1:00 P.M., we eat lunch together back at the main hall. After that we have two activity options: Canoeing and ZAP (Zero Activity Programming). ZAP is an opportunity for everyone to escape the sun and play a card game, make a craft, play an instrument, hang out with friends, or play volleyball in the shade. Or, some of our lovely staff will take you canoeing!

Once the canoers return around 2:30 P.M., we move into Crew Time. Each Crew is responsible for planning part of camp, such as campfire, talent show, or the final banquet, and you get to choose which crew you want to join. Each crew works in their own unique way to develop fun and personalized elements for the week of camp.

Late Afternoon

Once the Crews have met, they have an opportunity to share any updates, and ask for sign ups from the rest of camp at Community Meeting. This time offers a moment for staff to make announcements, address concerns, share exciting news, and for campers to share as well.

After community meeting around 3:30 P.M., we begin our afternoon activities, and each day is completely different from the last. Our days may include tie dyeing, swimming, field games, or a rhythm workshop.

From 5:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. we have free time. You’re welcome to read a book, make a craft, work on a task from your Crew, take a shower, play a card game, or just hang out with friends before we eat dinner.

Evening

Dinner is at 6:00 P.M. which flows into Twilight Zone, an opportunity to play a quick, high energy game with the whole community before starting our evening activities which include capture the flag, a talent show, and campfire.

We start to wind down from our day with Mug Up, our evening snack, around 8:30 P.M. before we settle into Relaxations. A few staff might play some music, read a story, or share some poetry. Relaxations leads us into Reflections at 9:30 P.M. In small staff-led groups, participants gather to discuss important issues, share stories from their lives, and reflect on their days at camp. Reflections is a part of camp that participants come to value deeply.

Reflections end at 10:30 P.M. and everyone is in bed by 11:00 P.M. It’s lights out and time to rest before we start another big day!