Summer Camps Breakdown

5 horses for 5 days
The countdown is truly on. Five days. That's it! FIVE DAYS until registrations start pouring in. When the countdown to the right of what you're reading hits "0" we can officially say that summer is coming.

In light of camp registration opening up - I thought I would run through what each camp looks like, feels like, and what your son or daughter can expect so that you can make a more informed choice when January 3rd comes around next week. This would be a good blog to pass around to your friends who are thinking about registering their kids in camps. We understand that the first time you sign your kids up for camp can be a daunting one - hopefully, this will make it easier. If you would like a more in depth description of each camp, just head to our Summer Camps page on the website and click "More Info" next to any camp to find out more.

We've got three different types of camps!

We break down our camps into three categories: Base Camps, Out-Trips, and Leadership Training/Work Experience.
Trail Blazers playing a wide game
Base Camps are what most people think of when they think about camp. Campers sleep in cabins of 10 kids. We've got two staff that lead each cabin. There's wide games, field games, and a HUGE assortment of activities. We run our Base Camps at 100 campers. We've got two formal chapel times in our Activity Centre and we bring in a speaker to tell stories and share about Jesus in a kid-friendly way. Meals are all served in the Dining Hall. Base Camps are for kids going into grades 1-11 and are: Sparks, Jr. Explorers, Explorers, Trail Blazers 1 and 2, Ignite 1 and 2, and Impact.

Out-trips! There are three different kinds of Out-trips at Evergreen. Trails Away, Charge, and Roughin' It. There are a couple things that makes our Out-trips unique from our Base Camps. The first is that campers will be sleeping in tents or teepees rather than our heated cabins. So proper sleeping bags and outdoor layers/gear are important. The second thing that makes them unique is that they are smaller than our Base Camps. Out-trip Staff lead their chapels and devotionals and these camps often get visits from our Base Camp Speaker and Out-trip Director. Let's take a closer look at our Out-trips:
Roughin' It Site
  • Trails Away is our all-girl horse trip. Trails Away weeks will vary from three days to a full week and camps across the creek at our "Foothills Outfitters Camp". They sleep in beautiful wall tents on timber framed decks. They cook their meals in a cook tent with propane grills and campfires. Campers will spend their mornings doing lessons (ground lessons and mounted lessons) and the afternoon will be spent riding. Trails Away is only for 8 campers and four staff. You may think that that's really small but keep in mind you've got all those horses! That's double the appetites, double the heartbeats, double the personalities, and double the fun. Trails Away is for girls in grades 7-11.
  • Charge is our all-boy paintball camp. Charge camps across the creek at our "Foothills Outfitters Camp". They sleep in beautiful wall tents on timber framed decks. They cook their meals in a cook tent with propane grills and campfires. When these boys aren't eating or sleeping they're at our Paintball Range learning how to work as a team, build obstacles, and play a whole lot of paintball. Each Charge camp has room for 20 campers and camps range from grades 7-10.
  • Roughin' It is our longest standing Out-trip. This camp has been around since the early 1990s. Our Roughin' It site has two 24" teepees and a shelter for eating and cooking. There are Roughin' It camps for boys and girls and can fit 12 kids each week. The schedule is quite relaxed throughout the week giving the kids time to try each of our activities, play in the creek, build shelters, and truly experience the woods and beauty of our site. Roughin' It is really where kids can first get exposed to Out-trips at Evergreen. Camps are offered to kids in grades 4-7.
Trails Away

Leadership Training/Work Experience camps are our staff development and discipleship programs. We've got two different programs and though they are not a pre-requisite to being staff - they are recommended. Both programs prepare young people for the grand experience of being staff at Evergreen. Our goal through these programs is to teach, disciple, and grow young leaders in their faith. Campers do have the ability to gain high school credit for participating in Pit Crew or Internships. We strongly recommend that each student checks with their own school first to see if they are able to gain credit there before using the credits program provided through Chinook.
  • Pit Crew is our "year one" staff development program. It's for students going into grades 9 and 10. Pit Crew campers learn the "behind the scenes" responsibilities of working at camp. They clean our facilities, do dishes, participate in work projects while doing sessions on what it means to be a servant leader. We use Youth Alpha in many of our sessions. Pit Crew Campers will also get to participate in activities, paintball, and wide games while at camp. This program is two weeks long (campers have the weekend off).
  • Internships is our "year two" staff development program. This six week program for students going into grade 10 and 11 will integrate and prepare campers to become Camp Evergreen staff. It prepares them to preach the gospel, teach activities, and lead activities. Interns can choose an area of focus for the program depending on their interest (barn, audio/visual, activites/program, cabin leader, kitchen). There is an application process for this program before you can register as we are specifically looking for students who are passionate about becoming Camp Evergreen staff.

We have Family Camps! We've talked a lot about our Summer Camps and yes, that includes our Family Camps. Registration for our two Family Camps opens on February 2nd. There are two options: Mid-Summer or Summer's End. Open activities, wide games, skit nights, and delicious food. Make sure you check them out.

That's a good start. I always tell folks to read up on each camp and to not be afraid to call the office. We would love to find the right camp for your family. Keep an eye out - we'll go through frequently asked questions soon.

Peace,
Jogee

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