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How We Deliver Community at Camp

Ashlee Woolfson, Camp Director

At Adventure Valley, one of our main values is that every camper should feel a part of the AVDC Family. Camp is a place to learn and grow, and in order to achieve this, children must feel comfortable and safe – like they truly belong.

So, how do we deliver community at camp? Let me count the ways!

1. Cabin Huddle
Each morning as campers arrive, they join their cabin group for Cabin Huddle – a dedicated period of time for counsellors to get their campers excited for the day. They’ll play community-building games so they start the day as a united group!

Before the busses load, we have our afternoon Cabin Huddle. Counsellors lead their groups in reflection from their day and help our campers form bonds and connections based on their shared experiences.

Summer Day Camp. young campers smiling.

4. Staff Retention
We put a lot of effort into ensuring our staff have enriching and valuable summer jobs, and it pays off! Our staff retention rate is about 50% from summer to summer, which is on the high end for the day camp industry. Campers feel even more apart of the community when a counsellor from last year runs up to say hello the following summer!

5. Longevity Awards
After attending camp for your third summer, all Adventure Valley campers receive a special Turtle tag for their Radtagz bracelet. It’s our way of showing appreciation for their commitment to the camp community!

Day Camping in 2025. A group of children and counsellors standing together.

2. Schmooze
Every day, the whole camp gathers together for “Schmooze”, our camp-wide-pep-rally-slash-dance-party! At Schmooze, we celebrate camper and staff birthdays, we participate in epic games and competitions, and of course, do the Camp Dance and camp cheer! You can feel the spirit pulsing through the crowd.

3. Group Consistency
At Adventure Valley, we remain as consistent as possible from week to week, keeping campers together for longer periods of time to deepen their friendships. And, we always try to keep the same counsellors there too! We encourage families to register for multiple weeks in a row in order to get the most out of camp!

Adventure Valley came to Oakville in 2022. In a few short years, we have built a thriving community of awesome campers, wonderful staff, and dedicated camp families. We are so grateful to everyone in our AVDC Family!