Adventures at Nagiwa!

Big News

2011-11-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

Now, I should probably start off by admitting, openly and to the world, that I am not a very good blogger.

Since blogs are supposed to keep people up to date with what is happening, and be consistent, I fully admit that I have failed at this in the past. I will try to do better.
In the off season, I will try to post once every couple of weeks. In the on-season, I will do my best to post twice a week. Feel free to bug me if I don't.

Today, aside from apologies, I have big news to share, and I will paste an email that went out today here:

Dear Parents and Campers,

I would like to take this opportunity to give you an update about what is happening with camp. The summer is long past, parents are back to the regular work schedule, most campers (and staff) are now back in school, and after a long adventure away I am back in the office.

I was hoping to be able to tell you all that the new brochure is available for you to see on-line and on paper, and that registration would be available as of December 1st for the summer of 2012. Unfortunately, I can’t say those things. What I can say though, is something very exciting!

For the summer of 2012 Camp Nagiwa will be running for 6-weeks!

That’s right; you have helped Nagiwa grow so much in just 5 years that we can now provide excellent programming for two additional weeks.
With this expansion, we will be seeing some new programming for the 2012 season. I am the most excited about the expansion of our day camp program which will potentially be running for 6 weeks, after a very successful pilot week at the end of the 2011 season. The day camp program happens along-side our residential program and the fees include lunch, but not transportation (sorry folks from Guelph, no buses to Nagiwa Day Camp). Along with the expansion of the regular camp season and Day Camp, this year should see three non-overlapping sessions of our Voyageur program, possible changes to the LIT program, and a change to the CIT program in order to accommodate more applicants.
I promise though, even with all of this expansion, we will continue to provide the same high quality camp experience that you have come to expect from us.

We are working hard on our end to make sure that registration is up and running as soon as possible so that you can start making your summer plans more concrete. We will be in touch as soon as we have a launch date for this year’s registration.

If you are looking for pictures from last year’s camp, they are still available on our website at www.nagiwa.org. Also on the website right now are the words to the Nagiwa song from the original Camp Nagiwa on the Severn River. We have the words, but we do not have the tune, so if you or someone you know might have that information, we would be very happy to have it.

This off-season should also see a re-vamp of the camp website, alongside the new YMCA-YWCA of Guelph website. This new website should provide a richer web experience for campers, staff, parents, and other people interested in camp, as well as a new home for Camp Nagiwa history. We have photos, old super 8 film, manuals, songs, and a great deal of other material here in the office that we would like to put online in order for everyone to be able to experience them. This will be an on-going project, but we are working hard to see it happen.

I am now in the office several days a week, so if you have questions or need to be in touch with camp, I encourage you to contact us either by email at campnagiwa@guelphy.org, or by phone at (519) 824-5150 ext. 251.

Hope you are having a wonderful fall, and I hope to see you again this year at camp.

Sincerely,

Luc Cousineau

Luc Cousineau
Director
Camp Nagiwa
YMCA-YWCA of Guelph

Am I able to tell you which 6 weeks we will be having, no. But 6-weeks of camp are coming this summer. Get ready to register!

Luc

Session 3 - and we all fall down...or the tent at least

2011-07-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

So I have discovered something this summer...blogging is maybe not my bailiwick...

It isn't that I can't do it, it is just that I don't think about it all the time. It is a shame really because there are a great many stories that I could be relating to those of you who stay connected to camp using this method. I have gotten better with posting the pictures, and we are doing well now at not only getting them up, but getting them up promptly (like I have already posted pictures of tonight's evening program for your viewing pleasure - high five for me!). But, the blog seems to have slipped through my fingers a little, and for that I am sorry.

I can tell you a few things about this week, now that I am thinking about the blog. We started week three with some new stuff this year. We had the beginning of our very first second session LIT group. Smaller by half than our first group, they are still equal to our largest group any year prior to this one. I am very proud to be a part of this year of such large leadership development, and I have been pleasantly surprised throughout by their commitment to both camp and themselves. We also welcomed our largest voyageur group of the year this session with 11 participants. It is nice to see this coed group ready to take on the wilderness challenge of canoe travel. We also have our largest regular camp session ever with these groups busting at the seams.

Sunday night, after a very long a humid day, we had a huge storm. So big was this storm that it took our tent down like it was a pop tent from my youth. The intrepid RLC support staff were on it though, and they had it ready to be set up again (in a slightly smaller version) before we were even ready for breakfast. We now have a slightly smaller version of our original tent, which we have named tent 2.0. This week has brought with it the hottest weather of the summer so far, and tomorrow we are set for the hottest day in a very long time. They are calling for in the 40s with the humidex here! We are ready for it with a modified schedule which will include extra dips, lots of water breaks, a modified Nagiwa Games, and more sunscreen than you can shake a stick at! I will repeat again and again my message to them: "Today is going to be HOT! So wear a hat, put on your sunscreen, carry your water bottle, and empty it into your face a bunch of times!" Just for reference, this is a message that has been working so far, and we have only had one young person visit the nurse with heat-related symptoms...they are fine...

Tonight, we had a brand new game set up by one of our staff. Four challenges, a big mess, and a lot of fun for the kids and staff. There was chocolate sauce, toilet paper, oatmeal, and oil involved, along with much laughter and friendly competition. There are tons of pictures online, but this should give you a good idea of what it looked like:

Things like this really make me admire the commitment of my staff to the campers, and it makes me think of all the crazy stuff I did when I was a counsellor (and maybe some of the things that I still do) ------>

I know that I have a great staff working for me, and that each of them is committed to helping and bettering each of the kids they come into contact with.

In the end, I can say this about the summer so far. The campers are leaving camp happy, and I think better youth than when they arrived. That is what we are trying to do at camp, build better kids, so that they can help build better families, and better communities.

I would hope that we are accomplishing that goal, and I would invite anyone with comments to let us know. We are always interested in how we are doing, and if we are accomplishing our goals. You can be in touch with us any time through facebook, this blog, or directly by email at campnagiwa@guelphy.org. We are always happy to hear from you.

Be well during this heat wave...we are thinking of you while we swim in the lake!

Luc

My my...how a week can fly by...

2011-07-09T09:24:00.001-07:00

Well, already at the end of week 1 of camp for 2011...Crazy!

What a week it was. We had almost all amazing weather, with the exception of one morning where we had some rain. We had about 80 people in camp, including staff, and that is more than we have ever had before in Session 1. Our giant 16-person LIT group helped, but we had over 40 regular camp campers as well.

We week ran as smoothly as I could have expected, being my first week running Nagiwa and with a senior staff entering into all-new positions, but on Friday I saw a ton of smiling faces, and a few who were very sad to be leaving; this says 'job well done' to me. I can't say enough good things about the staff we have at camp this year. They are committed to the kids, and to making sure that we all have an excellent time while we are here at camp. I need to give a special shout-out here to Andrew who came to camp this week to help us out and really made a huge difference in the lives of campers, one in particular. I could not have picked a better person to fill that roll. If you see Andrew hanging around at day camp this year, give him a high 5 for us!

As I look forward into the summer, I can see some things pretty clearly. This will, once again, be the busiest summer we have ever had a Nagiwa. We will have difficulty making sure that everyone has beds there are so many people! Session 2 if full to the brim, as is session 3. Session 4, although not full yet, if getting closer to that mark every day, and we expect it to be full as well. Also, I see our Nagiwa Day Camp taking off for its pilot summer. Day camp this year will run the last week of July, to make sure that it works well with our residential camp. If it does, we will look to a larger launch for next summer. Call us if you want more info.

I hope that you are all having a safe and happy summer. I know that we are!

Enjoy the season!

Luc

And so the summer has begun...

2011-07-04T17:33:00.000-07:00

Good evening all!

You have found us on our second evening of camp for the 2011 season and things are really looking good for this year. So far (although 2 days is only a fraction of our season) the weather couldn't be any better, and we have an enthusiastic and energetic bunch of campers.

As Nagiwa grows and expands, we have been very lucky to expand our horizons. This year, we welcome staff from two countries in Europe, as well as campers from all over Ontario, some from Europe, and even campers from Africa! We continue to grow the Nagiwa family, and that makes this place better and better for campers, staff, and our communities.

Speaking of growing the Nagiwa family, this year is our busiest ever! I know that we get to say that every year, but this year is particularly notable because we are on track to fill not one, not two, but three of our four sessions, with session 1 being nearly full as well. Also, we have had to create a second LIT session this year, in order to accommodate all of the young leaders who wanted to join us for training this year. We feel a little like we are busting at the seems, and cabin placements with this many campers are a challenge for the senior staff.

We have lots of great activities planned for the rest of this week, as well as the rest of the summer, and we are very happy to know that there will be many smiling faces to share those with in each session.

Also, this year we are piloting a day camp program for children in the Rosseau Lake area. This day camp will run from July 25th through July 29th, and will provide a day camp experience comparable to our overnight experience. We do not provide transportation, but we do provide lunch, so if you live or cottage in the Rosseau area, why not think about having your camp-aged child join us for day camp?

For those of you still wondering, everyone arrived safely, and we are all having a great time. Today is just about over, and I should hurry off for our end-of-day flag lowering.

Be well and enjoy your summer!

Luc

Spring...always an interesting time

2011-03-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Spring time in the camping world is ramp-up time. Forms are coming in, we are starting to look forward to programs, and staffing should be finishing up. At Nagiwa, we are right on track. We have forms coming in (if you have registered for camp, make sure to get your supplementary forms in by June 1st), we are still getting registrations for camp, and I am beginning the process of looking at our programs for the coming summer. Our staffing is also almost complete, but we are still looking for a couple of people to round out our staff team. These folks would be a little older (University age), have residential and youth leadership experience, and would be part of the team which will be teaching our LITs for the season. If you are interested, or you know someone who might fit the bill, send me an email. Things can also start to get a little busy around the office this time of year as well. Please know that I will get back to you as soon as I can, but I am only in the office 2 days a week and that limits when I get your messages. Thank you all for your patients so far! We will have Nagiwa clothing on sale this year, with details and pictures to come. This is a great way to remember camp, or to feel like you are a part of the action, even if you aren't able to attend. I will make sure to post about that stuff when it all comes together. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to get a hold of me. You can find my info on the website at www.nagiwa.org. That's all for now, Luc

Early Bird Reminder!

2011-02-21T14:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings all!

I have one very important announcement for this brief post, and that is that you only have one week left to get the early bird discount for Nagiwa this year! The last day to access this discount is the 28^th of February, so make sure that you get registered before then to save 10%!

Hope everyone is having a great end of winter, and that you are all counting the days until camp for 2011!...131…in case you were wondering.

That's all for now,

Luc

Leadership News!

2011-02-18T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,

Another busy off-season week is wrapping up and bit things are happening.

This week saw the creation of a new program at Nagiwa, a special LIT Session 2! This session will run for the third and fourth weeks of camp and continue into August with the canoe trip. Same great program, new great time! July 17th to August 5th.

Spaces are limited, so if you are interested in signing up, now is the time!

Also, all three weekends will be available this year for multiple-week campers. The last one will be posted on our website soon, so if you are interested in staying over, just let us know or sign up online.

Camp is approaching...only 134 days!

That's all for now,

Luc

Camp is coming together...

2011-02-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone!

We are about a third of the way through February and things are busy around the office already. We have had some really fantastic response to some of our programs this year and it looks like it may be a banner year for Nagiwa programming. Lots of news to get to, so I will jump right in:

1) LIT 2011
This program is going to be the biggest it has ever been this year. We have had such an overwhelming response this year that we have expanded the program and will very soon be opening up another session for registration. This means that for the first time ever, we will have LITs joining us in the camp program for weeks 3 and 4! They will then travel on the traditional canoe trip the first week of August. If you aren't signed up for the program and you are interested, or you are signed up and want to switch over, give me a shout at campnagiwa@guelphy.org and let me know.

2) Voyageur 2011
This year we have expanded the program again to allow for even more participation. Although the response to this program has not been as significant as the LIT so far, this program sold out two sessions last year, so if you are interested in attending, now is the time to sign up to guarantee a spot.

3) Traditional Camp 2011
It looks like this is going to be another great year for the traditional camp program this year. Spots are starting to go in all of our four weeks, so if you are looking to sign up, no would be an excellent time. If you have any questions at all about the traditional program, I am happy to answer them.

INFO NIGHTS!
Each month we are having info nights about camp. Mostly they cover the basic camp information for new families, but we are here as well to answer questions for families with campers moving into a new program at camp, or general inquiries from existing campers. Our next one is the 17th of February, that is a Thursday, at 7:30pm. There will also be 2 in March.

If you are curious about the staff for this year, you will be seeing some faces that you recognize. I'm not letting slip who, but some of the nagiwa team from 2010 will be back this year. No matter who returns, we will have excellent staff, as always!

Don't forget to follow us on facebook. You can link right to the Nagiwa Facebook page at www.facebook.com/campnagiwapage. We post there more frequent than here.

As always, if you have questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know. You can get me by phone or e-mail.

Thats all for now,

Luc

New Year. New Faces. Same fun. Same Camp.

2011-01-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, we are back on the Nagiwa Blog. Our first post of 2011 has a few things happening in it, so keep reading.

First of all, hello. My name is Luc Cousineau and I have taken over from Ruth as the Director of Nagiwa. Ruth and I go way back, and I can tell you for sure that she had a difficult time leaving this position. She has moved on to work for the largest camp in Ontario; YMCA camp Wanakita. I know that she will be an excellent addition to the team over there, and I think that Nagiwa has lost someone special with her departure. I only hope that I can do as well as she did with camp here at Nagiwa. I can say that since starting at the beginning of December, she has been a resource that I could not have done without, and for that I really need to thank her.

As for the particulars of this season, all of the information that you need will be posted shortly on the website. The 2011 brochure is complete and should be up today. There you will find all of this year's dates and fees, as well as some other information about programs and options. The website has been updated to match the new content, and don't forget to follow us with our Facebook page. Who knows, there may even been Tweets in our future.

Some of you may notice that sailing is not in the brochure this year and an individual program choice. Take heart, sailing there will be...just not as a program choice. We are needing to do a little work to get that program really working at camp, and so this year it got a reprieve, hopefully to repair and condition the boats for an excellent season next year. If you are sailor, we will make sure that you get a chance to be out there this year, and I will be right there with you.

What else? Oh yes, if you are wanting a little more information about camp this year, or you would just like to meet me, you can come to one of the information nights that we are offering this year; everyone is welcome. The first one was scheduled for this Sunday, the 16th of January, but we have moved it to a better time, the 30th of January. That is also a Sunday and it will be happening here at the Guelph Y. Everyone is welcome, but it would be best if you let us know you were coming so that we had an idea of how many people to expect.

I am really excited to be with Nagiwa this year. If you have questions for me, or would just like to say hello, you can always e-mail campnagiwa@guelphy.org, or you can call me at the Y, ext 251. Have a safe and happy winter season, and if you slide on snow, maybe I'll see you at Blue Mountain.

That's all for now,

Luc

Tell us about your time at camp!

2010-08-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that another summer has come and gone already! What an amazing season at Nagiwa, with many records broken!!

1. Most campers ever!
2. Most fish caught in a week - over 200!
3. Most times one counselor found the Nagiwa-wa - 6 times!
4. Most mustache-y meal!

It has been a great time of memories, and before those memories fade too much, we need you to tell us how we did!

As a Y camp, Nagiwa works to provide the best program possible. One way we do this is by collecting survey details from all of our families. THAT MEANS YOU!

As an added incentive, by completing the survey you are entered into a draw for a Free week at Nagiwa in 2011!!

By completing the survey, everyone wins! We gain more feedback, you get a better program, and you may even get a free week at camp! So what are you waiting for? Click on the link and get started!

Y Camp Survey 2010

Something for everyone

2010-07-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

As our fourth season of camp comes to a close, I have been thinking about how lucky I am to have our exceptional staff team. It is amazing to think that so many unique talents and skills come together to form a great group of counselors.

Thinking about the variety of strengths in my counselors also leads me to think about the unique strengths in all our cool and crazy campers! We have campers come from all sorts of backgrounds and with many different interests. We have canoers, kayakers, swimmers, firebuilders, hemp makers, rock climbers, dancers, and singers. There are campers here with all sorts of different abilities, and it is so cool that Nagiwa is a place that all these unique interests can shine. Check out some of our great talents!

Reflections on leadership

2010-07-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

It is the first night of our last session of camp for 2010. I can't believe that the month has flown by so quickly. Coming to the end of the season leads me to look back over the past three weeks, and to think of the change and growth that we've been so lucky to witness at Camp Nagiwa.

One group that particularly amazed me was our LITs (Leaders In Training). All seven of our LITs grew incredibly throughout the three week program, by pushing themselves past their comfort zones and accomplishing so much. From early morning swims to full days of canoe instruction, they came away from their LIT experience with some stellar technical skills. On top of skill instruction, they also wrestled with what it meant to be a leader, and what it looked like for each individual. The LITs were given a chance to put their leadership into practice on LIT Day. This was a day where the LITs were in charge. From running our evening program, scheduling Go time, to running annoucements - they did a great job!

After the first two weeks of sessions at camp, our LITs headed off into the wilderness for an unforgettable canoe trip. The energy that they had when they returned was contagious. I loved hearing their stories of long portages, delicious trip food, and all the challenges they overcame while on trip!

Camp is such a unique place where our campers are given opportunities to be leaders, and the freedom for them to discover how they can uniquely contribute to their communities. I'm so proud of you LITs - thanks for all the memories!!

Ships Ahoy!

2010-07-21T09:42:00.001-07:00

Last night we played a fun new game of Pirate's Treasure! After supper all of us gathered at the swim dock, where we watched the good pirates run from the bad pirates in sailboats.

After all that excitement, we learned that we had to search around camp in our cabin groups to find the treasure and return it to the good pirates. Not as easy as it sounds! The good pirates needed to make sure they could trust us by having us do tasks to earn the treasure, and the bad pirates tried to distract us with riddles!

Here are some of the pirates in action!

Cucumbers and cattails...

2010-07-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful day at Camp Nagiwa! It was a little cloudy at first, but things cleared up just in time for our first morning of Individual Program Choices (IPCs). With such a busy camp session, we have some full IPC groups for activities like kayaking, canoeing, fishing, wall climbing, and Into the Wild!

This morning one of the Into the Wild groups went on a nature hike and discovered all sorts of edible plants right here at camp! They learned about cattails, and that the end of cattails tastes like cucumber. How cool is that?!

Camp is such a great place for discovery, and I'm excited to think of all the other discovery that will happen this week!

We won't let the rain get us down!

2010-07-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

What a great start to session 3! There is so much excitement at Camp Nagiwa!

This week marks our biggest session of campers since Camp Nagiwa opened in 2007. There is so much energy as campers run around, do their swim tests, and work on learning each other's names.

Through the rain, the energy keeps growing! As I write this, campers are running around camp trying to capture the opposing team's Nagiwa-Wa. It has been an eventful game, with a lot of victories!

I am looking forward to tonight's campfire as well. We are so fortunate to have a beautiful building to meet in when it gets rainy, so that we can sing together while staying dry.

Hope you are also enjoying your refreshing rainy evening!

Trying something new...

2010-07-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Here at Camp Nagiwa we have a really cool tradition. At the end of every session, we sit together as a camp community and come up with some challenges to leave for the next group of campers. The Camp Director then shares these challenges with the next group during our first night campfire.

And so, according to tradition, I shared Session 1's challenges for our Session 2 group at the end of campfire last night. One of my favourite challenges put forward for this week was "Try something you wouldn't normally do". This is such an important part of camp, where we have an opportunity to try all sorts of new things in a safe place.

This got me thinking about the new stuff that I have tried while at camp. As a camper I learned to canoe, kayak, and wall climb. Some of the most significant new experiences I had at camp were on canoe trips, where I cooked over a fire, packed up camp, and even paddled down rapids. Now that I'm a camp director, I still have lots of new things to try. Last week, I had the chance to go sailing for the very first time! Two of our star sailors, "The A Team", took me out for a quick ride on the lake. They were great instructors, and I got to try something new, thanks to their generosity! Thanks guys!

It's a Beautiful Day at Camp Nagiwa!

2010-07-07T07:10:00.001-07:00

Every morning we gather at the flagpole before breakfast to officially start the day. We start every morning by announcing "Good morning! It's a beautiful day at camp Nagiwa!" and then the whole camp responds with "Good Morning Ruth!". It is my favourite part of every day!

At our morning flagpole we also choose a Cabin of the Day who gets to choose our Quote of the Day and our Debate Topic for supper.

Today's cabin of the day is Cabin 1, and they have presented us with a very challenging debate topic:
Ninjas vs. Vikings

That is tricky, I'm still not sure which side I'm on!

Breakfast was eggs and bacon this morning- so delicious, a lot of us had seconds.

Now we just started our first IPC period of the morning. The "Into the Wild" group are going on a Colours of the Rainbow scavenger hunt. It looks like a blast- they have been given the colours of the rainbow, and they get to find different things in nature that match those colours!

Looking forward to another beautiful day on Lake Rosseau!

Week One is Well Under Way!

2010-07-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

What a jam packed, adventure filled we have had so far!
In the last couple of days we have settled into the routine of Camp Nagiwa. Our Morning Dips have been well attended, even our fearless Camp Director has been up every morning!

After breakfast our campers are busy learning in their Individual Program Choice (IPC) periods. We have many campers on the water gaining expertise in kayaking, canoeing, and sailing. Our Leadership participants are working away at their ORCKA canoeing certifications, and lifeguarding qualifications.
We also have folks learning the skills of campcraft in "into the wild", climbing, fishing, and playing sports. There is so much to learn, and so little time!

After lunch we are busy in our cabin group activities. Each cabin group worked together on our first day to choose how they wanted to spend their time. This way, our campers get to be part of the programming! They have come up with some great afternoon ideas, like arts & crafts, frog catching, and playing "Pirates!" in canoes.

Needless to say, we are keeping busy and having a blast at Camp Nagiwa!

Staff Camp Reflections

2010-07-06T11:56:00.001-07:00

Wow, hard to believe that it is already half way through our first week at Camp Nagiwa for 2010! Time sure does fly when you're having fun.
Before welcoming our first group of campers, we enjoyed a week of Staff Camp. This was a great opportunity for our exceptional counselors to get some training and prepare to welcome many campers to Lake Rosseau for the summer.
Of course, we also managed to find a lot of opportunities to play! We had a blast playing some wacky dodgeball, paddling along the lake, and of course- we also took part in a Staff Slip N Slide. We had a blast!
Here is a look at some of the fun we had during staff Camp...

Stones in the City!

2010-05-14T11:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow afternoon, everyone is welcome to join us- as we play Stones in the City!

Saturday May 15th
1-3pm

Meet at the Guelph Y. From here we will walk to a nearby park.

This is a great opportunity for returning campers to reconnect, and new campers to get a little taste of Nagiwa.

Looking forward to it!

Nagiwa's new blog

2010-05-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks for checking out our blog!

Camp Nagiwa will be welcoming staff for our staff training week on June 28th. Once we settle in to our site for the summer, we will regularly update this blog with stories and pictures from our adventures at camp.

Until then, if you have any questions, you can check out our website
www.nagiwa.org

Or email us
campnagiwa@guelphy.org

Looking forward to a great summer!