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Testimonials
The YES was the best thing that has happened to my daughter and I have no doubt that the skills she has learned there will continue to help foster her into a pretty terrific human being for a long time to come... So, from the bottom of my heart...thank you to The YES!
— Heather, YES Camp Parent
My favourite part about The YES Camp is the environment and community that’s created by the staff, participants and site. The YES Camp is such a positive place that I was able to unapologetically be myself and know that people would accept me for me.
— Marcus, YES Camp Participant, Roots 2022
YES Camp Participant 2024
"It was extremely fun and exciting, where everyday felt new and enjoyable. I learned so much about core competencies such as sustainability, communication and leadership, while doing so many fun activities such as canoeing, tie dying and improving. It was very refreshing to learn and grow in such an organic way and not in a classroom. I highly enjoyed it and I thank all the amazing camp counsellors and the other campers who made this experience into something I will never forget."
YES Camp Parent 2024
"My stepson was very hesitant to go on his first trip away, and especially opposed to having to give up his phone for a week. On his return, nothing but smiles and stories and he made a group of friends he’d never have met otherwise. He connected with one of the camp leaders and says he wants to go back next year! He also said he didn’t even want his phone back by the end of the week. Thanks for an incredible experience and memories to last a lifetime."
YES Camp Staff 2024
"Volunteering with The YES has been an incredibly rewarding experience. From day one, I was inspired by the participants willingness to accept others and try new things. Witnessing their development in community through leadership and teamwork was truly uplifting. The supportive environment we created together led to remarkable personal & collective achievements. Being part of this transformative journey not only enriched my own life but also reaffirmed the importance of nurturing young leaders."
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Camp has helped me grow more than words can explain. The friendship connections, leadership, and personal awareness are only some of the words to explain a place where I learn that I can be "me". I have attended camp for 3 years now and I will continue to encourage everyone to attend. My mom and aunties all attended camp over 25 years ago, and still remember it as some of the best times, they still have friendship connections to this day. I would recommend camp over and over for everyone to attend. Camp has helped me grow as a young man and a great leader in my community. I have memories that will stay forever.
— Ben, YES Camp Participant, Pathways 2023
Each year of going [to YES Camp] I feel like I keep growing and expanding as a person. This year I truly found a new confidence in my self-expression and with
all of the new friendships I have made that will hopefully last for a lifetime. Everyone here is so amazing and powerful in their own way. I love this place and I want other people to have the same experiences as me.
— Will, YES Camp Participant, Pathways 2019
The environment the YES Camp Staff create is welcoming and kind, making everyone feel comfortable, safe and loved. Everything we do at this camp surrounds the idea of inclusivity and positivity, teaching young people how to be responsible leaders, and meeting new people to grow and connect with. I’m proud of the growth I’ve made from this camp and the relationships I’ve made.
— Zoe, YES Camp Participant, Pathways 2023
I love being a part of a community that values personal and collective growth and love. I love even more the beautiful things this community does for the larger communities that it touches. Working with The YES helps me remember that education (in its broadest sense) can be transformative and inspiring.
— Lindsey, Volunteer YES Staff Member
I can't believe the person who came home from camp after only 6 days! After much persuasion by me, he reluctantly agreed to go but did so with an "I'm too cool for this" attitude. He returned home as a new person with such an amazing outlook on life and towards everyone he encounters. He says it changed his life and that it was the best thing he's ever done! I was so happy but I didn't really expect this great attitude to last long but to my amazement it did! He has been a role model even to me!
— "A Grateful Parent", YES Camp Parent
Even though it's been years since my last time, Camp has remained an incredibly formative space for me, and I'm so, so glad people still have the opportunity to experience the love, the joy, the openness. To see that the small and overcrowded lives we lead in our teenage years are not all that lies ahead, and to learn what it means to share in a community of absolute love and radical acceptance, a space of self-creation and self-becoming. So much of what I cherish about myself was born there; and so many of my fondest memories from my teenage years took place among those weeks. So with all the heart I’ve ever had, thank you.
— Gerhardt, YES Camp Alumni, 2022
The YES Camp creates a beautiful community that fosters friendship, creativity, and vulnerability. With each passing year I attend, I find myself growing more confident in expressing who I am and in taking risks. This camp has truly changed me as a person and helped me create friends from all over that I continue to communicate with today. I cannot imagine a world where I had not attended The YES Camp. I will carry these experiences with me for the rest of my life.
— Gabe, YES Camp Participant, Pathways 2019
[My child] came back as a changed child, saying that the camp experience was one of the best experiences she ever had in her life, and that it made an important and profound impact on her. She was telling me all about it, and I listened in awe trying to imagine what it was like being there in person. [She] said that everyone she met at the camp was absolutely amazing, but she had special words of admiration and love for all of you who make this happen! In this day and age when more and more kids feel utterly disconnected from their peers, lonely, and/or lost in the virtual world, you offer them something so incredibly precious - a chance to reconnect, to discover who they really are, to let go of worries and truly enjoy the moment, to share, to feel vulnerable, to laugh, dance, and to simply enjoy themselves. [She] can't wait for the reunion, and she is already looking forward to joining the camp next year. For all of this I want to say a BIG and heartfelt THANK YOU to each one of you!
— Tanja, YES Camp Parent, 2023
This week I had the amazing opportunity to attend The YES Camp. I was able to learn about communication and leadership, as well as make new friends and try new activities. I had lots of fun swimming and listening to songs sung by the incredible staff. They create such a wonderful environment where everyone feels safe and included. I practiced taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. I am so grateful to have been able to attend and highly look forward to returning. I really hope so many other youth get granted this opportunity and get to experience The YES.
— Daphne, YES Camp Participant, Roots 2022
"This was my son's first year at YES Camp. He was notably nervous at drop off. Upon pick up, the first thing he said unprompted was "I want to come back next year". He had the best time. YES Camp provided him with new friendships and a confidence to explore parts of his character that have been dormant or stifled by his regular cohort at school. He had meaningful connections with other campers and the staff, which he described that helped him thrive. We are so thrilled that he can see potential for things he can achieve and who he will become as he matures. We are very thankful for YES Camp and how it provides the promise of a fuller life during adolescence and beyond."
YES Camp Parent, 2024
Thank you to all those who have shared their experiences of The YES summer camp.