Finances are part of business at Transitions camps
What are the kids learning at summer camp? Haute cuisine, entrepreneurship, fashionista styling, financial mergers.
Really? If a child is going to a Transitions camp, the answer is yes.
Transitions, a Children’s Village of Ottawa-Carleton yearly summer program, is definitely a camp with a difference. Funded by all three levels of government, including City of Ottawa subsidies, and by private donors such as the CIBC Children’s Foundation, Transitions camps are in 14 locations across Ottawa.
Free to kids from low-income and social-assistance families (and offered at $290 per two-week session for those who can afford it), the camps run until Aug. 21 for age groups between five and seven, and eight and 12.
It is no surprise that Transitions is a kid-tested success. After all, given that Children’s Village was established in 1864, it does have experience in providing innovative childcare services and programs for the past 150 or so years.
As Deborah Thompson, its executive director explains, “Transitions is a 100-per-cent child-driven program with a different take on life skills and learning.
“At the beginning of each session, each camper is given $5 and two sets of bus tickets. Most kids have never had cash or bus tickets and are really excited about the cold, hard cash.
“If, against the counsellor’s advice, the camper blows the $5, there is a quick lesson in consequences. They are unable to contribute to group decisions and the fun is gone.
“Our counsellors are trained to look for campers’ interests and ideas on how to use the money. In turn, the campers learn the responsibility of money and how to make decisions around it.”
And there are lessons in democracy, too. Campers vote as a group on activities and the majority rules. Counsellors set the ground rules: listen to others, be respectful and don’t eat other people’s lunch. Kids love being the boss of their programs and quickly learn the relationships between ideas, communications, planning and shared experiences. A sizable percentage of attendees return as assistants and counsellors when they’re older.
For the Caldwell Family Centre, this summer is its first as a Transitions location. “We’re very happy to have Transitions here and so are the kids,” says David Walsh, Caldwell’s executive director. “You can actually see the kids developing self-confidence along with healthy relationships with other campers. The program is teaching them decision-making, planning, organizing and money management.”
Judging from past years, the Caldwell campers have a history to draw on, like the entrepreneurs who wanted to fundraise for their camp activities. The eight kids held a breakfast café for one day during their camp.
By pooling their $5 camp allowances, they bought eggs, toast and pancake mix, developed menus, advertised the café with signs throughout the neighbourhood, set themselves up in the community centre’s kitchen, charged $3 per breakfast and netted $300 for their week’s activities.
At another camp, the kids had a supply of basic beads but needed more for their plan of jewelry sales. Again, pooling their money, they went to a craft store and bought accent pieces.
With the camp counsellor’s help, they made bracelets, necklaces and headbands. Setting up sales tables at a local mall and within the community, these campers proved that bling sells. The net take was $250. And then there was the financial merger. Three separate camps of eight- to 12-year-olds in three Ottawa separate sites held car washes and bake sales. They pooled the proceeds and rented a doubledecker bus for a day. The bus driver toured them all over the city, including a picnic at Vincent Massey Park.
While “cash is king” for funding their special-request activities, Transitions campers still enjoy traditional fun in the sun with swimming, sports and visits to City of Ottawa parks.
Business magnate, investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett said it best when referring to education: “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
As Ontario moves toward inquiry-based learning based on interests and curiosity, Transitions has been doing it for almost 20 years. That’s a lot of trees.
You can actually see the kids developing self-confidence.
Transitions locations are: Children’s Village, Caldwell Family Centre, St. George Elementary School, Laroche Park Community Centre, Debra Dynes Family House, Children’s Village at Stoneway (Adrienne Clarkson Elementary School), Carson Family House, Provender Family House, Confederation Community House, Pallister Community House, St. Rose of Lima School, Draffin Court, Madden Court and Russell Heights Community House If you are interested in a Transitions camp in your area, just call Children’s Village at (613) 725-2040.