CurrentTHE KOSHLONG

Spring/Summer 2016

After 30 years of resounding success it is hard to imagine that it took a leap of faith to launch Sunship Earth at YMCA Wanakita back in 1986. The camp has hosted an average of 200 students each autumn over the past 30 years in the program focused on ecology, science and the natural world.

“Sunship Earth offers a very simple way of getting kids to understand often complex science,” says Dave Lyons, a former staff member and the driving force behind bringing this fully immersive approach to environmental education to Wanakita. Camp Directors Rob and Steve Heming and staff including Lynda Shadbolt and Jim Janzen were all part of that early success.

“Sunship Earth draws kids in and they take what they learn about the air, water, soil, plants and animals back to their schools

and homes. They become the ones who push these issues among their teachers, parents and peers,” explains Dave, now a teacher with the Trillium Lake Lands District School Board. Sunship Earth participants

pick a nature name to be known by while in the program, so past

participants may know Dave as “Cardinal.”

The program uses an inquiry based learning approach that features role playing,

stories and lots of imagination. For example children crawl

through a giant mock up of a leaf out in the woods to learn about photosynthesis. After entering a tunnel-like “stem,” they crawl to “the chlorophyll control centre.”

Sunship Earth Turns 30

Share Your Nature Name

@ymcawanakita #naturename

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Goodbye to the Bench Slam!If you know mealtime at camp, you’ll likely remember the bench slam: campers stand up for grace or to dash for food and SLAM, the bench topples over backwards. Last fall we set out to solve that age-old camp problem with an economical solution. Some variations, like adding rubber spacers to buffer the impact, would protect little toes and reduce the slamming noise. However, we really wanted to score a “grand slam” and that meant solving the core problem of toppling benches.

Several prototypes later we had our answer. Our new slam-proof benches owe their stability to wood blocks applied to every leg of our existing bench stock. Farewell bench slam! You’re not welcome in these parts anymore.

old bench

new &improved

Greetings from YMCA Wanakita on the shores of beautiful Koshlong Lake! There’s plenty happening here as we gear up for our busiest season. We’re so excited to welcome our summer campers back along with our staff team. Many if not most of them were once campers too. It’s a wonderful evolution we see, as campers become counsellors and often later come back with their families to family camp.

While we’ve been busy these past few months maintaining, repairing and even rebuilding camp structures, we’ve also been working on renewals of another sort. Last fall we launched a new camp registration system to make that process easier for parents and campers. We also designed a new camp logo.

We know that many in our community have a strong connection to the totem logo, the most recent of YMCA Wanakita’s past logos. The redesigned identity honours that tradition by retaining the eagle, owl, fox and bear icons yet it looks and feels very contemporary. That’s important because we believe the camp experience to be as relevant today as ever.

Finally, we launched a new website, to help people learn more about all our wonderful camp programs: Day Camp, Summer Camp, Family Camp and Outdoor Centre. Judging from the tremendous response in both Family Camp and Kids’ Camp registration, these initiatives have certainly been successful.

We’re really looking forward to the sun and fun filled months ahead at YMCA Wanakita. See you at camp!

Andy GruppeGeneral Manager, YMCA Wanakita

Andy’s message…

Handyman’s

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Corner

Wanakita Community Meet Ali ColumbusQ: Ali you have been away from Wanakita since fall 2012, what brought you back to the staff team for summer 2016?

A: I have always wanted to work as the Inclusion Section Director and this summer it was a perfect fit. Also, a camp friend is returning and a chance to be back at camp with old pals was too much to pass up.

Q: Tell us more about the role that lured you back?

A: As the Inclusion Section Director I’ll be working with our inclusion team, Reach for the Rainbow (RFTR) staff and all of the campers who attend Wanakita through the Reach for the Rainbow Inclusion program. (The Inclusion team provides 1:1 support for children with physical and/or developmental disabilities so they can enjoy a summer camp experience alongside their peers.)

Q: Wanakita will have a number of returning RFTR participants who have attended Wanakita for many years, are you looking forward to reconnecting with anyone in particular?

A: The very first summer I was a summer staff member I worked one-on-one with Chanel Delorey. I am very happy

that she is still attending as an adult volunteer and to be part of her time at Wanakita again this summer. I am also looking forward to spending time with Aaron Posluns and receiving one of Adrien Backus’ patented 1000 watt smiles!

Q: What is it about Wanakita that draws you back?

A: For me it’s about challenging yourself and seeing your efforts transformed almost instantly into a camper’s smile or a brand new skill learned. This effort/reward cycle really provides a lot of drive for me when I return to city life. I can draw upon this reservoir of powerful memories and strategies for success. And the different parts of camp that kept me coming back summer after summer are still here; reconnecting with old friends, making new ones, the fun, the dance, the overnights, campfires the list goes on and on.

QA& Wanakita Roots

• Camper : Intermediate, Senior and Student Counsellor (SC)

• Summer staff (5 seasons)• Outdoor Centre seasonal staff• Worked with Directors Pete

Kerigan, Rankin Middlebrook, Colin Harris, Cam Green and Andrea Pepe

• Counsellor/Staff Member who made lasting impact on me - Rachel Long, my SC Counsellor

Ali Columbus

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Staff Challenge: YCampforkids.caIf you know one of the 2016 summer staff team you may have received a request to support them in sending a child to camp. Although we challenge staff each spring with a fundraising goal ($100 each) there’s more to this campaign than immediately meets the eye.

“Looking out for others is a key part of leadership training at YMCA Wanakita,” explains Andy Gruppe, General Manager YMCA Wanakita. “The staff campaign reinforces this message and helps them understand the role that philanthropy plays in our camp community. Wanakita is here for children of all economic backgrounds.”

Special thanks to well-known former camp nurse, camper parent and long-time supporter Pauline Goolkasian. Pauline is matching the funds raised by staff dollar for dollar up to $5,000. “It’s such a powerful way to support and encourage young staff,” adds Andy. “And in the end, it’s all about giving children from less fortunate backgrounds a camp experience.”

Check out the results of the 2016 Staff Campaign at YCampforKids.ca.

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Kita Kale Salad

INGREDIENTSRed leaf kale, ribs removed

Cranberries

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

DRESSING1 part honey

1 part liquid aminos such as Bragg or Knorr’s Maggi

1 part apple cider vinegar

1/2 part olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

METHODCombine dressing ingredients, dress kale and massage vigorously to breakdown the cell structure and infuse the kale.

Kita Cuisine Building appetites and filling up on great food is such a “Core” part of camp life, that we thought you might enjoy recreating the taste of camp life at home. Kita Cuisine

offers a scaled down version of a camp recipe. This issue we are paying tribute to Barb Philips by sharing one of her camp favourites: Kale Salad.

Barb retired this spring after 21 years of feeding hungry campers. We learned a few things about Barb working with her over the years, which is why we are wishing her: plenty of cruises and travel adventures, lots of Kenny Rogers (or look-a-like) spottings, continued luck at Bingo (and better luck at the slots), and her ultimate dream: a Harley Davidson!

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Sunship Earth Turns 30There a teacher, hidden nearby and talking through a long tube, guides them through the photosynthesis process where they bond simulated particles using velcro and ping pong balls.

“Another very memorable activity that virtually all kids love, if not at first, at least by the end of their trip, is “Magic Spots,” says Dave. Students are taken to an area in nature to just sit. They are given things to think about, draw, write or nothing at all. Over the course of three days, they settle into this quiet time as they return to their Magic Spot at different times of day, and they build a connection to nature. “There are wonderful discussions that chatting about it afterwards can bring,” adds Dave.

Nancy Wands (aka “Carrot”) a retired school teacher who participated in the program with her students from Hillfield Strathallan College for 25 years, may have said it best: “There is nothing more important than getting the children out of the classroom, away from their electronics, and to ‘touch the earth.’”

Thanks to all who’ve been part of this great program during the past 30 years!

Chill Break Sure it’s hot now, but have you ever wondered what happens at YMCA Wanakita when the snow flies? Plenty! Wanakita is a winter wonderland. More than 2,700 visitors joined us this past winter for the time of their lives.

From New Year’s to March Break various groups enjoyed winter fun each and every day. Topping the list was cross country skiing on 16km of groomed and track-set trails, snowshoeing in the back 900 acres, tobogganing on Big and Baby Cardiac Hills, and skating and broomball on Koshlong Lake.

We hosted Family Camps, 45 school groups from Grades 1 through 12 including students from Singapore, weekend outdoor clubs, special interest groups, Women’s Weekend, and the 6th Annual Haliburton County Folk Society Winter Folk Camp!

We hope to see you next time the snow flies!

YMCA Wanakita | 1883 Koshlong Lake RoadHaliburton, Ontario Canada K0M 1S0

We put out a call to the camp community via social media requesting suggestions for the name of this newsletter. Thanks to all of you for your input. The Koshlong Current won our hearts and minds as the lake is a part of camp life known across all generations and both East and West sides of camp. And of course the purpose of this newsletter is to keep you “current” with camp happenings. The Koshlong Current was suggested by Andrea Pepe, YMCA Wanakita’s Outdoor Centre Director.

Special mention goes to Grace Hebert for the longest name of the 35 suggestions received: The Ketchuparamanakitatetrazini Times! (Sorry Grace, we like the name but it was too long for the masthead!)

And the winner is…

YMCA Wanakita, a branch of YMCA of Hamilton| Burlington| Brantford, is a year-round camp for children and youth, families, school groups and anyone else wanting to breathe fresh air and explore their limits.

YMCA Wanakita | 1883 Koshlong Lake Road, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0 | Wanakita@ymca.ca

ymcahbb.ca | ymcawanakita.ca

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