Our Kids Member Report - February 2020

Glen Herbert
Editor/Writer, Our Kids Media
February, 2020

The 23rd annual edition of the Our Kids Camp and Program guide is currently being distributed. It’s our biggest edition ever, including profiles of more than 360 camps and programs, delivering, by far, the most complete resource of its kind in Canada. It will go out in major centres as an insert in the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star in the coming weeks. Readers will also find it on newsstands from coast to coast, including Chapters, Indigo, Shoppers Drug Mart, and many other outlets.

In this edition we did something we’ve been considering for a couple of years, and that’s to organise around the most basic questions families have about camp, particularly those who may be new to the concept. This is the full list of questions we included:

What is camp?
Is it worth it?
What age does summer camp start?
How long does summer camp last?
What can specialty camps offer that traditional camps can’t?
How do I know if my child is ready for overnight camp?
Who is looking after my kids?
Is camp safe?
What is a typical day at camp like?
Are tech camps really camps?
How do I make friends at camp?
How do I register?
When should I register?
How much does it cost?
How are leadership programs different from regular camp sessions?
What should I be asking the camp director?
What’s so great about camp?

We'll be filming members’ responses to those 17 questions for use online, including promotion on social media. If you’re attending the OCA conference on February 27 and are interested in contributing, please let us know here. We’ll have a camera and lighting set up specifically for this purpose, so if you’re game, visit us at booth 504 in the expo hall.

Of course, you needn’t attend the event in order to participate—feel free to film and send along a response to any of the questions listed. Your comments and responses (properly credited to you, of course) may be used in our future online content.