Northwaters Wilderness Canoe Camp Blog » Special Programs

Because circles can happen anywhere!

jenz — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 21:13:31 +0000

Northwaters and Langskib are coming to a town near you! The “North American Living Room Tour” begins this fall! Our owner and director, C.G. Stephens is taking our show on the road, visiting friends and alumni to share what we do first hand with prospective NWL families.

Sometimes the website and brochure just aren’t enough- now is your chance to meet the director, speak to current families and get a true sense of who we are and what our community and programs are all about.

We will share food, drinks, stories and photos from 6-8pm in the following locations.

Southport, Connecticut- Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Boulder, Colorado- Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Richmond Hill, Ontario- Saturday, February 25th, 2012

New York City, NY-Friday, March 9th, 2012

Northern Michigan and Ann Arbor dates pending

cena@northwaters.com, 866-458-9974

Keeping It Simple

cenashaw — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:42:09 +0000

I was inspired recently by a lecture that I attended by Kim John Payne titled Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids. Kim John authored a book of the same title in 2009, the ideas of which are catching on nationally at a rapid pace. His message is clear: by reducing the stress in the life of a child we give them the opportunity to flourish; the opportunity to think more clearly, make better decisions, and have the capability to go deeper in to the activities, play, and work that they do now, and will do later. Kim John explained that when children have a series of small cumulative stresses in their lives such as: too-busy schedules, constant media exposure, too many choices, and general chaos in their lives their brains function at limited capability while exhibiting the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. In a time when it seems that stress is the new norm in our society, Kim John challenges us to keep it simple in the lives of our families, for the sake of our families.

Of course, it was hard to listen to this lecture and not make parallels to the ideals of Northwaters and Langskib Wilderness Programs and the reverence for childhood and adolescence that is honoured there. By giving young people the opportunity to unplug, remove themselves from the expectations and norms of their home lives, and be with the land in a safe yet challenging environment, we create beautiful opportunities for personal growth. We don’t need much to have powerful and formative experiences. In the case of NWL, it is the bare necessities: a tent, paddle, canoe, essentials that fit in to the canoe, a small group of supportive peers, and the quiet, solitude, and rawness of the Temagami Wilderness.

At Northwaters and Langskib each participant has an important voice and vital role within the group – it is difficult to blend into the background when one is considered critical to the group. Often, we see young people come to our programs feeling disconnected and self-conscious. But when given the opportunity to be with nature, a supportive community and, most importantly, with themselves in a reflective way, we often see these same individuals head back home feeling strong, empowered, and with a newly-found realization of their unique gifts and those of their trip mates. The skills and lessons learned on a well-thought out wilderness program, such as trust, communication, integrity, honour, discernment, and confidence are skills that will aid young people in the navigation of their lives well beyond their time on trail.

Northwaters is committed to sharing the magic of this experience with parents as well. We believe that the environment, culture and components used throughout youth programs have great value for families and individuals. Waypoint is a week-long program at our Langskib basecamp designed specifically for parents who would like to renew their vision of what is possible within themselves and their family.

I felt compelled to share my experience of Kim John Payne’s lecture and of Northwaters with other parents as a message of hope in demanding times. Kim John’s message reminds us to look at childhood and adolescence as an unfolding process rather than an enrichment opportunity. In this way we can support our children’s healthy development in to grounded and responsible adults. The work of Northwaters and Kim John Payne continue to influence my life, and who I am as a parent, by plainly reminding me that simple is powerful.

Meanwhile, back at the Mill – Winter 2010

C.G. Stephens — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:17:03 +0000

We are having a great winter here at Northwaters and Langskib off season headquarters. Everyone is healthy, summer camp enrollment is at record levels and a steady stream of visitors has made cheerful the dark days of November and December.

Summer Camp in the Winter!

New to the mill (and NWL) this winter is Jen Zahorchak. Jen comes to us with many years of experience working with children and their families in camp settings throughout the US. She and her husband Gregg moved back East from Oregon to work for Adirondack Camp in Lake George. Recently, they purchased a home just a mile down the road from the mill. Jen and Gregg come to us with much experience in outdoor adventure. Each of their girls, Wren and Luna, have been on canoe trips in-utero and out, but Otis (4 months) is waiting for the spring thaw for his first out of belly adventure. In addition to helping out with general administrative work, Jen is focusing her expertise on managing our website and online presence. She’s the person to contact if you would like to contribute news, photos or stories to the blog or website – jen@northwaters.com

Once summer camp programs are finished and base camp is closed, (October 2 last year) our focus turns to planning for the coming season. In November, directors and senior staff spent 3 days with Rod Napier and Chris Cavalieri of The Napier Group. Chris and Rod, in addition to being our trusted advisers and experts on organizational development, are also able to represent the views of parents and grandparents of participants. Together we identified key program areas we could improve and ways in which we could make the end of session experience for parents even better. One exciting development is Waypoint, a one week program August 1-7, 2010 for parents.

Enrollment in Northwaters and Langskib regular sessions is more than 20% ahead of all previous records for this date. Don’t worry, we probably still have space for you, but keep in mind that if you are one of the folks that likes to wait until the last possible chance to enroll, you may find yourself out of luck. Enroll online or call 866-458-9974.

Outside of our regular canoe camp season, we have a full slate of school programs. Halton Waldorf School of Burlington, Ontario is sending classes in both June and September. The Sterling Hall School of Toronto and the Rudolph Steiner School of Anne Arbor are each sending classes for wilderness canoe adventures in September. We have formed a partnership with Alive Outdoors to provide a wilderness adventure program for the 10^th grade of the Greenwood school of Toronto in September as well.

The ice was late in arriving to Temagami and a number of our neighbors have been through the ice. Keewaydin Canoe Camp lost a snow machine but fortunately, Jason was uninjured. Unsafe conditions made it impossible for Claire and Eric Miller to reach Northwaters in mid January but they were able to get to Langskib for a very frosty visit.

A January thaw in Westport brought the Boquet River thundering over its banks. Big chunks of ice made it too scary to do much more than just think about paddling, but still, it was a great reminder that paddling season is just around the corner. Temperatures have returned to seasonal levels so it’s back to ski’s and ice skates.

We hope you are all getting out wherever you are and look forward to another great summer.

C.G. & Jodi