Here are typical schedule templates that we use, during session times campers will have a mix of scheduled and choice-based program options to choose from.

TYPICAL OVERNIGHT CAMPER SCHEDULE

TYPICAL DAY CAMPER SCHEDULE

Health & Safety are a big priority for us. Especially as a place with higher risk activities such as our Out-trip Programs, Archery Range, Adventure Elements, Canoeing, and our tendency to love running around outside for most of our day!

Staff: Our health team is led by our certified on-site Health Care Provider who lives on-site on-call 24-hours a day. Our HCP reviews each camper’s health form and meets with each family upon arrival. Each of our program areas is led by trained leaders who hold relevant certifications, such as our NLS certified lifeguard staff, ACCT Level 1 certified Climbing Wall staff, or our Safe-Food Handling certified kitchen staff. All staff who are eighteen or older on site have been through a vulnerable sector screening and hold a valid Standard First Aid/CPR-C certification. In addition, we have a designated Health & Safety Rep who does weekly site inspections and works with our maintenance staff to ensure that our identified risks are minimized.

Equipment/Supplies: We are proud to have an on-site AED (Defibrillator), as well as back-up Junior & Adult Epi-pens on hand if needed. Our health centre is fully equipped with typical over-the-counter medications, and first-aid supplies. Most of our buildings & every program area also has a designated first aid kit which is restocked during our weekly site smoke detector & CO2 detector inspections.

Nearest Hospital: Alexandra Marine & General Hospital in Goderich is a 6 minute drive south of Camp.

Cleaning: Keeping our site & facilities clean & in great shape is a priority for us! All of our bathrooms, cabins, & dining hall are cleaned on a daily basis. With the whole camp scoured at the end of each session.

A girls and gender minorities cabin will have a counsellor in-cabin that is a woman or gender minority. A boys and gender minorities cabin will have a counsellor in-cabin that is a man or gender minority. A mixed gender cabin could have a counsellor of any gender. All our staff aged 18 and older undergo police record checks and all staff provide us with multiple references that we check. Counsellors are never one on one with a camper alone. Staff are in-cabin or just outside of the cabin during vulnerable times like changing as appropriate.

YES! We assign campers into cabins based on four criteria: Cabin-mate requests (found on our registration form), Cabin Gender preferences (We have girls & gender minorities, boys & gender minorities, and mixed gender cabins), the program they signed up for, and age. Campers are welcome to request 1 friend or sibling to be in the same cabin with them and we will honour this request if they have both signed up for the same program. If the friends or siblings are different ages, know that we try to keep the age in the cabin as similar as possible, so one of them may be a bit older or younger than the others in the cabin.

Siblings: If there are siblings coming to camp please declare if you would like them in the same cabin or not… we have guessed wrong before! You know your kids best!

Please note: Due to our choice based model, campers from different cabins have many opportunities every day to see each other & connect.

During the sign-in process the registrant may choose to sleep in up to three different styles of cabin: boys & gender minorities (boys, non-binary, campers assigned male at birth), girls & gender minorities (girls, non-binary, campers assigned female at birth), and all gender cabins (anyone). If the camper chooses only one option that is the style of cabin we will place the camper in. If the camper chooses more than one option we will place the camper in any of those options. If the camper chooses more than one option but has a strong preference for one particular style there is a comment space where you can add that preference.

When cabin assignments are done, campers will be placed according to these selections. We also group our cabins by age, if campers choose more than one cabin style they may also indicate which is more important to them: gender, or age. Other factors that influence cabin assignments are: cabin mate requests, staffing capacity, accommodation of medical needs, etc. Campers will not be assigned to a gendered cabin that they did not select during the registration process; however, if a camper wants to change cabin styles when they arrive at camp, that request will be honoured.

Camp Menesetung is committed to creating a space where all campers can participate in authentic self-expression and be celebrated for exactly who they are. As a Camp affiliated with the United Church of Canada we uphold the believe that trans, non-binary, and queer campers are part of God’s good creation.

As per The United Church of Canada’s statement of gender and sexuality: “The United Church affirms that gender and sexuality are gifts of God, and that all persons are made in the image of God. We welcome into full membership and minitry people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The United Church is opposed to discrimination against any person on any basis by which a person is devalued.” https://united-church.ca/community-and-faith/being-community/gender-sexuality-and-orientation

No. The unique experience of Camp is that campers are able to explore who they are away from their families. They may try things out temporarily at camp like: playing forward during soccer rather than defense, wearing make-up, not eating any vegetables, singing on stage, a new name, different pronouns. Some of these things may stick with them long term but not necessarily everything. All of this is part of healthy development and does not need to be shared with caregivers. In our experience, campers will want to tell you EVERY SINGLE DETAIL about what happened at camp down to what colour their favourite pool noodle is. If they feel that it is time to share these things with you, we trust that they will.

What we will do:

• Encourage your camper to share this new development in their life with an adult they trust outside of camp.

• Make a plan with them for how they might share their news safely and who they know they could go to if something went wrong.

• Contact the proper authorities (a mental or physical health care provider, social worker, police, or children’s aid society as appropriate), if there is a concern that they are in danger of harm and let the authorities contact you as necessary.

• Alert you that your camper could benefit from a mental or physical health care provider without telling you the details at the discretion of your camper.

We love questions - as long as they come from genuine curiosity and are asked in a respectful way to the right people! If you have questions about the gender inclusive practices please email our Camp Director (colleen@campmenesetung.ca) or Executive Director (director@campmenesetung.ca) and we will be happy to answer them in a peaceful and respectful manner. If your camper has a question about our gender inclusive practices prior to Camp we are happy to speak to them or you in whichever way they feel most comfortable. If they have a question during Camp they can ask their counsellor, the chaplain, the health care provider, a leadership team member, or even one of the Directors who will happily answer their question to the best of their ability. We are happy to answer questions about how we make these practices work, to clarify misunderstandings, and even to share why this is important to us. In all our conversations we operate with the understanding that trans, non-binary, and queer campers are loved and valuable and that we will do our best at Camp Menesetung to ensure that they know this to be true through our gender inclusive actions and not just our words.

Our food situation is GREAT. Delicious food prepared in-house with a ‘large-scale home-cooking’ philosophy. Campers enjoy Breakfast (8:30) , Lunch (12:30), Afternoon snack (3:00), Supper (5:30), and Evening snack (8:00).

Our Cook & Kitchen team are great at accommodating dietary requests and will make custom meals for campers who need it! We are a nut-aware camp that does not allow peanut or tree nuts on-site.

It is important to note that while our kitchen team prides themselves on accommodating food allergies & sensitivities, that we cannot accommodate all food ‘preferences’. Campers who prefer something else should talk to their Cabin Counsellor who will help set them up with something like a simple sandwich… and there’s always the Salad bar or Cereal bar!

SEE A SAMPLE WEEKLY MENU

Overnight Camp

Sign In: The first day of Camp (usually Sunday), between 3-4pm

Sign Out: Families are invited to join us for a 30 minute closing ceremony at camp on Friday at 4:45pm (before supper)

Day Camp

Monday Sign-In 8:45-9:00am (unless participating in before-care)

Day Camp Runs Mon-Fri: 9:00-4:00pm (unless participating in before/after-care)

Bridge Camp

Monday Sign-In 8:45-9:00am (unless participating in before-care)

Monday-Tuesday: 9:00-4:00pm (unless participating in before/after-care)

Wednesday Sign-In 9:00am (unless participating in before-care)

Friday Pick-Up: 4:00pm

Camp Menesetung celebrates a tech-free lifestyle where campers leave their technology at home. While this can sound intimidating for some, the transition happens faster than most of our campers expect, and many learn to love this aspect of camp. Camp is about building community face-to-face without worrying about the outside world.

Stand-alone cameras are allowed so long as campers do not publish pictures of others without permission!

We understand that some campers may have technology prescribed by a physician for various reasons and are happy to respect professional judgement and accommodate this. Please indicate on your health form so that our Health Care Provider can follow up with you!

YES! Our team includes an Integration Coordinator and two 1:1 Support Counsellors who allow us to offer 1:1 support to 2 campers each week of the summer, whether they are in Day Camp, Overnight Camp, or Volunteering to help our team.

How to apply in a nutshell:

Step 1: Complete our 1:1 Support Application

Step 2: Our Office Team will follow-up in the Spring to confirm that we can meet your camper’s needs and summer availability

Step 3: You Register for the week you have been approved for selecting 1:1 support in your registration

Step 4: Our Integration Coordinator will contact you in the Spring to develop a comprehensive profile which your 1:1 Support Counsellor will be trained with

Step 5: Arrive at camp and meet your Counsellor!

LEARN MORE & APPLY FOR 1:1 SUPPORT

We are a camp affiliated with the United Church. We welcome and celebrate campers and staff from all faith and non-faith backgrounds. Our mission is not to convert people to christianity, but rather to celebrate everyone’s own faith journey in a safe space that celebrates the fact that Faith can be an important part of life.
Faith at camp looks like singing grace before meals, a reflective time in the evening called Vespers, our Live Out Loud program which campers can choose to attend sessions, and the inclusion of faith related songs throughout the week.