With this latest edition of the Clear Lake Chronicle, we hope that we find you and your family healthy during this time of uncertainty and challenge.
One of the uncertainties your family might have right now is about Summer Camp in 2021. We want to share with you our optimism about Summer Camp, and our confidence as we plan for what should be a remarkable season at Wenonah.
Here is what we would like you to know:
- We believe strongly that Camp will take place this Summer. As we shared in the Wenonah COVID-19 Task Force announcement, this isn’t just something we hope for – it is something we are confident about and planning for.
- With Jeff, Tom, Nancy, Brent, and Katerina’s experience on the Wenonah COVID-19 Task Force, we are well situated to be on top of the latest information about health, safety, and wellness from a wide range of reputable sources. On top of their work, JJ (Senior Director – Experience) is in her second two-year term on the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) Board of Directors and has been involved in the OCA’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team is leading and learning from the very best on a provincial, national, and international level.
- The OCA is working with provincial public health authorities to create detailed COVID-19 guidelines for Ontario summer camps. We expect these to be finalized by early March, allowing us plenty of time to prepare for a safe and successful Summer Camp season.
- We are learning from our friends and colleagues in the United States and around the world who ran successful and safe overnight summer camps in 2020. Everything they learned and did helps us plan for a safe Summer of 2021. Guess what? Their campers and staff were safe and had fun!
- We are also looking to have various testing protocols in place, ideally with point of care testing being implemented if possible. Access to safe, reliable, and fast COVID-19 testing would be terrific to have at Camp during the Summer.
- Camp policies, protocols, and programs may have to change to keep campers, their families, and staff members healthy. We need to be patient and flexible as guidelines are introduced and we adapt. We are confident that if any community can thrive with change, it is the Wenonah community. We will share details regarding these changes in the coming months.
- The Wenonah Management Team are a remarkably skilled and experienced group of Summer Camp professionals who have dedicated their lives and careers to the safety and wellbeing of the children and youth in their care.
Wenonah has always been a place where we have fun and learn lifelong skills in a safe and respectful community. It is a place where we can be who we are meant to be, surrounded by nature and people who care about us. We cannot wait to be all of this and more in the Summer of 2021.