Summer Day Camp: Where creativity and imagination create magical experiences
The end of June is near. Children are trading their notebooks and pencils for sunscreen and swimming gear. Many children are about to say goodbye to school and enter the magical world of camp.
Summer camp
Summer camp is a place where creativity is always welcomed. Where tables are filled with colouring pencils, paint, and crafts every morning, camp songs like Princess Pat and Bear Song are sung all day to see who can sing the loudest, and where you can embrace your love of cooking, video producing, or biking.
Whether in sports, arts and crafts, outdoor adventure or music video camp, thousands of children are getting ready to embrace new challenges, big and small, every summer.
This magical world isn’t complete without its magicians: Camp counsellors.
I fell in love with camp when I went to my first summer camp as a child. I experienced a fun learning environment beyond the four walls of school. The best part? The counsellors. When I was young, they seemed so cool. They taught me to push beyond my comfort zone and that there was always room for everyone.
After years of participating in summer camp, when I had the chance to become a counsellor — a mentor for campers like myself — I jumped at the opportunity and joined YMCA Summer Day Camp. It was a natural next step for me after growing up with a tradition of summer camp. Like thousands of teenagers, it was my first job and the next phase in my personal development.
As a counsellor, I crossed into a familiar space, one that I’d experienced before as a camper. But this time, I was the one campers looked up to, a maker of magic in my cotton T-shirt, walkie-talkie, and fanny pack at the ready instead of top hat and wand.
Before I knew it, I applied the skills I had observed from my counsellors throughout the years without even realizing it.
Being a counsellor is not only for camp lovers. I know many people who had never stepped foot in camp before becoming a counsellor. That’s a great thing about camp — it’s a place for everyone, no matter your background, skills, and experience. And with many kinds of camps in our communities, no matter your passion or skills, there’s a place for you.
The memories I had as a camper were now the experiences of a new generation of children: The wonder of being in a canoe for the first time in Muskoka or learning how to make a crème brûlée and magically perfecting it on the first try.
As a camp counsellor, you embody the values of camp and guide campers through many firsts. You create lasting memories, help campers feel empowered every day, and help them grow and thrive in a safe environment.
Simultaneously, you’re reaching your own potential: Becoming confident in your ability to lead, learning from senior staff, adapting and problem-solving as soon as the clock hits 8:30 am on Monday, and constantly pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone creatively.
Kindness, optimism, integrity, respect, inclusiveness, well-being
These values were planted during my summers as a camper and counsellor and continue to be important to me — forever carved as value beads that I confidently wear on my wrist every day.
YMCA Summer Day Camp is the first job for many young people. They learn about responsibility, resilience, agility, and teamwork. It builds the foundation for transferable skills needed for future careers and for life.
As the summer quickly approaches and youths look to get their first jobs, I’m reminded of that young girl, wide-eyed and excited to walk into her first day of camp. Summer camp gave me the opportunity to create magic and learn in the process.
Jamie Pecile
Regional Director, YMCA Summer Day Camp
The YMCA of Greater Toronto offers 1,000 camp programs at 50+ different locations across the GTA and Muskoka. From arts and sports to overnight and leadership camp, there is something for everyone.
