Summer Camp Report 2024

Adventure Seeker

How Camp Gave Xander New Confidence—and Friendships

Xander's been part of the UGM community almost his whole life. He first came for family meals with his mom and four siblings when he was three, and since then, he's been a regular at Eastsiders, and then at our teen programs. The UGM team has had the honour of watching Xander—quite literally—grow up: at 19, he's taller than most of his program leaders.

While he enjoyed after-school programming, Xander's most memorable UGM experiences have happened at summer camp, where he discovered his love for the outdoors. He first attended camp when he was eight, and he's been going ever since—sometimes with family, and sometimes on his own.

Camp allowed Xander to try new things: archery, riflery, ziplining. But as much as he loved the high-energy aspects of camp, his favourite part of the experience wasn’t the ziplines and the archery, it was the people. “I usually make friends easily, so I made a lot of friends there,” he recalls. “We played a lot of field games. We’d chat, talk about stuff. One thing I remember from that first camp was digging a hole in the sand with a friend I made.”

And it’s that kind of kid chaos—something as simple as digging in the sand—that can have a lasting impact for children as they grow. Since camp, Xander has been inspired to try other extracurricular group activities. He took an outdoor excursions class in high school that saw him and his fellow students camping outdoors three times a year—one time, even digging out and sleeping in a snow cave. He also joined a camp weekend where he travelled to Saskatchewan to learn about Indigenous culture and participate in a Sun Dance ceremony.

The best part of being outdoors a lot? “The quietness, just looking out into nature.” Xander appreciates both sides of the camp experience: “It helps you with communication skills, getting to know more people. And it gets you out into the wilderness instead of staying in the city, trying something new.”

Now graduated, Xander is in a season of figuring out what’s next. When it comes to future planning, he tends to live in the moment, but he did complete six months of culinary training and wouldn’t mind working in a kitchen—maybe even a kitchen at a camp. His favourite dish to prepare? Alfredo.

Thomas, UGM’S Children & Youth Program Supervisor, is one of the staff who have had the opportunity to know Xander for most of his life. “Xander has always been a curious and friendly kid,” he says. “He is kind and generous with his time. He also loves to eat: one of our favourite things about doing a youth camping experience is knowing that we will never have to worry about leftovers, since we always know Xander will finish off the pot of chili—and might even come around asking if you are done yours.”

It’s these kinds of ongoing, lifelong relationships that make a difference here at UGM—and at camp. Shortly after we connect with him, Xander’s headed back to camp, this time as a volunteer cabin leader at UGM’s Spring Into Summer retreat weekend for children ages 8–12. If we had to guess, we’d bet he’s going to make even more friends. “I think the beauty of camp is that it gets youth out of their comfort zone, for better or worse, letting them experience new and exciting things,” says Thomas. “For Xander, I think this has allowed him to thoroughly blossom in his relationship skills and his desire to seek adventures and fun wherever he goes.”