Sun Youth’s summer camps open up a world of possibilities for young Montrealers
Many parents think of summer camp only as a place to park their children while they are at work, but for some children the positive experiences they have there create memories that last a lifetime and have a profound and beneficial effect on shaping who they become as adults. T.M.R. resident Antoinette Silcott, for example, fondly remembers her summers at Sun Youth’s sleepaway camp in the Laurentians as one of the most important and formative times in her life. “My mom sent me to sleepaway camp, (on) which I fought her every which way — but once I went, there was no looking back. I went to their camp from when I was seven until I was 20 years old. Every summer, nobody could find me (here in town); I was up in the Laurentians.” The 50-year-old mother of three enjoyed many carefree summers at the camp as a child, then eventually became a counsellor there. She credits those experiences for turning her into the adult she is today. “I learned compassion, I learned respect, I learned how to give back. Everything I am today (is because) Sun Youth moulded me into the person I’ve become,” she said. Many of the children she worked with at the camp came from disadvantaged homes and Silcott says that changed her perspective. “As a camper, you don’t always see what other kids are going through, but as a counsellor you realize how many kids are coming from broken homes, (kids) that are suffering, that have different situations, abuse, poverty,” she said. “Being part of Sun Youth, working and being able to give these kids two weeks of being able to be a kid without having to worry about all the problems going on at home, meant a lot to me.” Later in life, Silcott fell on hard times herself and was an unemployed single mother trying to raise her children on welfare. She turned to Sun Youth to help her. She’s still appreciative of the assistance she received from them. “They are welcoming,” Silcott said. “There’s no barriers. As long as you have a heartbeat, you’re welcome through their doors. “They don’t judge anybody for their past. It’s a genuine, caring organization and they truly care about their community. If not, then they wouldn’t have grown to where they are at.” To Silcott’s delight, one of her daughters, Alicia Dennis-Silcott, continued in her footsteps and attended Sun Youth’s sleepaway camp before she also ended up being a counsellor there. Dennis-Silcott has a summer job at Sun Youth again this year and will begin Child Studies at Concordia University next semester, a decision that was inspired by her time working at the camp. “I feel like Sun Youth really helps you grow as a person,” the 19-yearold said. “At the beginning, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life; then, when I started working with the camp, I said: ‘Yes, this is what I want to do. I want to work with children.’ “Providing summer jobs for young people is an added benefit of Sun Youth’s many summer programs, said spokesperson Ann St Arnaud. “There are a lot of students who work here in the summer and get their first job and their first opportunity to discover a whole new world and what they want to become.” St Arnaud explained that it has become too expensive for Sun Youth to offer its sleepaway camp, but they still offer an excellent day camp out of their St-Urbain Street headquarters in the old Baron Byng High School for children ages five to 12, one of several programs they operate only in the summer. “Summertime is very busy at Sun Youth. We have so many programs that we don’t have all year-round,” she said. “We have our day camp, we have our bike patrol, we have our summer sports that are going on, basketball tournaments, football. We’re very busy keeping children busy, which is very important to us.” Sun Youth’s day camp is a unique urban experience that brings youngsters together from across the city, from different cultures and different economic backgrounds. “For many children it’s an eye-opener and it’s a way to meet kids they wouldn’t meet otherwise,” St Arnaud said. “It’s very diverse culturally. You get French, English all mixed up and the counsellors are bilingual so it’s also a really great way for your children to learn or practise their second language. It’s a very Montreal camp.” St Arnaud explained that the camp, which offers a wide range of activities like swimming lessons and field trips — along with breakfast, snacks and a hot lunch — isn’t only for disadvantaged Montrealers. It’s open to anyone, but Sun Youth charges people on a sliding scale, based on their income. When Sun Youth was founded in 1954, its original mission was to keep children off the street and out of trouble — primarily through sports. The summer camps are just an extension of that continuing goal and St Arnaud hopes Montrealers will continue to support their cause.