““The program is fantastic! The three individuals were dedicated and hard working. They learned a lot during their time working at the camp and were able to take on a wide variety of tasks. The additional human resources made a positive difference to our programs and it was a pleasure working with the youth.”
- Luke Ferris, General Manager
The YMCA-YWCA of Greater Victoria is a registered Canadian charity and operates Camp Thunderbird. Thunderbird specializes in offering human powered, outdoor adventure activities and environmental education to the local school districts during the spring and fall seasons plus traditional summer camps for children aged 7-17. The focus of these programs is personal growth and development of the individual through the medium of an active, outdoor setting and small group experience. Over 4000 students and campers visit the site annually; all of whom are led by over 50 staff and volunteers.
Luke Ferris, the organization’s General Manager, was looking for possible funding opportunities so that he could hire Outdoor Education Instructors. A Google search led him to the Get Youth Working! Program, he applied and within 10 days was approved to hire up to 3 eligible youth through the Program.
Camp Thunderbird hired two youth. On-the-job training focussed on acquiring transferable skills such as; leadership and instructional training, child/youth care best practises, workplace health and safety, managing conflict, and emergency procedures. In addition they were trained in camp-specific skills such as; kayaking, rock climbing, canoeing, archery, high ropes, orienteering, back country camping skills.
