The Open Outdoors program is designed to ignite a love of the outdoors by offering accessible outdoor activities to empower equity deserving communities to be comfortable in the outdoors.
Equity deserving communities are those historically under-resourced and under-represented in outdoor education and includes Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA , and disabled communities. In addition to these groups, the program also aims to engage Indigenous youth and families recognizing the specific historical colonial inequities tied to land access and the outdoors that has led to Indigenous underrepresentation in outdoor education.
Outdoor activities will vary based on the location and time of year, but could include canoeing, fire building, orienteering, outdoor cooking, and more. We encourage participation from individuals or families/extended families, but please note that youth must be 16 years old to participate without adult supervision.
Sunday, October 6, 2024 @ YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre from 1 pm to 4 pm (busing is available from the David Braley Vaughan YMCA). Skill instruction for this session will be focused on learning how to use rock climbing harnesses and helmets, tying proper climbing knots, and trying out a few of our high ropes elements.
The bus will depart the David Braley Vaughan YMCA at 12:15 pm and return by 4:45 pm.
*YMCA Cedar Glen is not a fully accessible site. We have several accommodations in place to make our program more accessible and are continually working to improve in this area. If you have questions about how you can participate, please feel free to reach out to us.

Situated on 263 acres of the Oak Ridges Moraine, YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre is the perfect place for children, youth and adults to grow in confidence and learn new skills. Cedar Glen welcomes outdoor education, retreat and conference groups, offering meals in our dining hall, overnight accommodations, meeting facilities and outdoor experiential education programs. Day camp runs during summer and school breaks, and a modern child care centre provides licensed care in the natural setting.