Embracing friendship and fun
Silent Voice Canada’s day camp explores sign language, fellowship
You can be silent but have a lot to say, and nowhere is that more evident than at the Sign Language Summer Program day camp.
Every summer since1974, kids aged 6 to14 who are deaf or hard of hearing, or have siblings and parents with hearing challenges of their own, have been part of a unique seasonal gathering.
Campers learn and hone their skills communicating in American Sign Language (ASL), the standard English language signing system used in much of Canada, the U.S. and parts of West Africa and Southeast Asia, and they get to enjoy sport activities, swimming, arts and crafts, and group day trips to places such as the Royal Ontario Museum, Canada’s Wonderland, the Ontario Science Centre and other popular attractions.
But most important, they get to meet a lot of new friends.
About 80 kids from a variety of cultural backgrounds and different education levels are enrolled in this summer’s SLSP day camp, which is organized and supervised by Silent Voice Canada, a Catholic Charities agency supported by ShareLife, along with sponsors like the Toronto Star’s Fresh Air Fund.
Running from July 3 until Aug. 17 at Dallington Public School, in North York’s Sheppard Ave. E. and Don Mills Rd. area, the camp has about 20 deaf and ASL fluent staff members, some former day campers who have returned to mentor kids just like they once were: eager to be heard, keen to make friends, learn and have fun.
“My favourite things to do at camp are doing crafts and going on field trips to the ROM, like today,” said Kisanet Habtemariam,11, through a sign language interpreter during a camp excursion to the ROM, where she counted 14 of her pals among her field trip group last week.
Deaf but ASL fluent, Kisanet moved to Toronto from Eritrea a few years ago. It’s her third year at the camp and she’s looking forward to many more.
“I want to keep coming, next year, two years from now, three years from now and many after that,” she said, expressing her desire to one day be an adult staffer, as many campers have become over the years.
“If she is shy, I help her make friends at the camp,” vowed Kisanet, referring to one of her newest chums, a girl who recently came to Canada from Saudi Arabia.
By her third day at camp, 6- year-old Olena had already voiced her desire to return next summer. She is a member of Silent Voice’s newest program, the Kids of Deaf Adults Camp. Launched three years ago, it is an integrated part of the SLSP’s first two weeks of the camp season.
Both of Olena’s parents are deaf and the Etobicoke youngster is remarkably fluent in both ASL and spoken English. It’s her first summer at the camp and she’s wasted no time in getting in on the learning and camaraderie.
While she loves playing hide and seek with her dad at home, and is a big fan of basketball, coming to the camp is a new and exciting experience and a place to meet a whole new circle of friends.
“I like it because there are lots of friends I know that you don’t make at camp,” said Olena. “I made more friends at camp.”
Like many of the camps and organizations generous Star readers support through the Fresh Air Fund, the SLSP day camp relies on fees paid by families who can afford them, yet also provides assistance for many faced with financial restrictions.
“While our regular camp fees only account for around 26 per cent of the true cost to run our camp, so far this summer we have 52 per cent of our families requesting subsidy on our camp fees,” said Mike Cyr, Silent Voice Canada’s program director.
“We believe in giving priority to the marginalized members of our community.”