In February 2009, and again in February 2010, I co-led two successive trips to New Orleans.
Both times, we travelled during University reading week. Both times the trip closely coincided with Mardi Gras.
I wonder why the students came.
Was it pure altruism? Was it a process of self-discovery? Was it the story of a city neglected by its own mayor, state politicians and federal government?
Was it the plea from our friends and partners in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana? What was it, exactly that brought two separate groups together to travel to New Orleans? Read more…
Most youth and young adults head out on short term missions because they want to make a difference, they want to help, they want to battle injustice. It would most likely be devastating for them to know that their short term endeavors may actually make things worse for the people they are meant to serve! Read more…
“Hospitality, therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place. It is not to bring men and women over to our side, but to offer freedom not disturbed by dividing lines.” – Henri Nouwen
They came wanting to participate. To share their gifts. To contribute to the life of the community.
They came wanting to give what they had. Quite naturally, we turned them away. Read more…
On the last Saturday of August, I had the opportunity to visit with a group of young people in the Parish of March in Kanata, Ontario, along with their mentors. The group had just returned from Nicaragua where they had partnered with Almonte, Ontario-based SchoolBox in helping build a school.
It was the first time the group had assembled since returning home, and it was an opportunity to begin to unpack the experience and to continue to frame it within the context of our Christian faith and our participation in God’s mission here on earth.
What’s more, our time together provided the opportunity to ask deeper questions about how the experience might change their lives now that they’d returned home.
How will their parish community support them as they apply what they learned? How will this group challenge their parish to find new ways to serve closer to home? Read more…
Our new Youth Initiatives staff person, Andrew Stephens-Rennie will be posting articles and ideas about Campus MInistry in Canada. We are also hoping to develop a contact list for you here, so that when you move away to a new place, you can get connected to your local campus ministry or parish nearby to your new home away from home at college or university.
Brought to you from the magic of youtube is a bit of the progression of songs from when I started at camp until last summer. This is a place where we can beging to share some of our favourites and perhaps propose new ‘classics’. Enjoy and make sure to post your favourite camp songs, the songs that molded you. Post links or titles in the comments section! Read more…
Francois, Development Coordinator for the Diocese of Gitega
Most camps work to a certain extent on supporting kids from various organizations to come to camp, and there is an attempt made to be accommodating to many levels of ability and experience. Some camps do a lot of work up front on fundraising for a bursary fund or to help pay for repairs to the camp. Is there a way we can be celebrating this and getting even more involved in this? I wonder; if there was more volunteer work done outside of the camp as ambassadors for camp if that would, in some way, raise the profile. Perhaps having a Relay for Life team comprised of camp staff, hosting a car wash to ‘send a kid to camp’, help to maintain the trails and sites around camp with the local forestry and wildlife organization, running a winter camp at a greatly reduced rate for kids and families to get a preview into what camp is all about, etc. I understand that camps are incredibly strapped for cash and for human resources and have been for years but I also do see some benefit in attempting redefine the expectations of Camp as a ministry. Read more…
Hi! My name is Melissa Green; I am from the small community of Savona near Kamloops, British Columbia. I’m in my second year of my Bachelor of Arts at Thompson Rivers University and am actively involved in the St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Savona. I organize and run both a Junior and Senior Youth Group in the parish, and also sit on a number of committees within the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior. I have recently been accepted onto the PWRDF Youth Council and the BCYAYM Council; I am excited to share in the work of both of these groups along with the other groups I share ministry in! I find working with groups in the Anglican Church exciting and full of learning and sharing.
This past summer I had the privilege of working at Sorrento Centre as one of the Children and Youth Coordinators and Summer Staff Supervisors. With a team of staff we made the Children and Youth Program for ages 0-18, trained and supervised the summer staff, and had a ton of fun. Our summer program was called, “We’re All In this Together” and looked at multiculturalism along with different aspects of Christianity. Read more…
Spring Flowers mark the approach of the Camping Season...
As the crocus’ begin to surface through the snow and the sun is up a little later each evening thoughts begin to sway towards those happier days of summer… cue Beach Boys “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and begin montage of all your perfect summer memories… mid song you realize there is another reason your mind has drifted to summer. This ‘march break’ or ‘spring break’ is a week long sample of what the whole summer is going to be like and… you haven’t found a summer camp for the kids yet! Though a conversation about summer camps can feel somewhat reminiscent of Manhattan mom’s comparing preschools I will attempt below to break down some of the determinants of summer camp that will hopefully simplify the process… Read more…
Though my skills at writing in verse are impeccable I have decided to have the onlylink to Chaucer within this be the name of the camp I work at. Sorry if there were any old english enthusiasts drawn to this story. Here is the story of my introduction to camping in general, and camping as a ministry.
Throughout my childhood I moved several times; took ballet, highland dancing, choir, synchronized swimming,
Canterbury Hills Camp in the fall
basketball… I joined lots of clubs and subsequently dropped them about one or two seasons afterwards when we moved, I lost interest, or something seemed much more interesting. The one thing I stuck with from the time I was a very little girl until I was entering high school was The Girl Guides of Canada. I started out as a Brownie and worked my way up to Pathfinders, then became a Jr. Leader. I loved it. It was an opportunity for me, as a girl, to feel confident in various areas, especially camping. Read more…
Columbia. I’m in my second year of my Bachelor of Arts at Thompson Rivers University and am actively involved in the St. Hilda’s Anglican Church in Savona. I organize and run both a Junior and Senior Youth Group in the parish, and also sit on a number of committees within the Anglican Parishes of the Central Interior. I have recently been accepted onto the PWRDF Youth Council and the BCYAYM Council; I am excited to share in the work of both of these groups along with the other groups I share ministry in! I find working with groups in the Anglican Church exciting and full of learning and sharing. 
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