So far the Ponoka Youth Centre’s Summer Camp has been very popular, with most weeks close to maxed-out capacity.
The Youth Centre is licensed for up to 55 children per day, and attendance averages about 40 to 45 kids per day.
“We’re really excited this year because we changed it up with the themed weeks,” said Morgen Chernick, program director.
The staff picked a variety of themes to match a range of interests and the feedback so far has been positive.
There are age-appropriate activities as well on programming days.
Some of the themed weeks include arts, adventure, cooking, science, dance and drama.
Adventure week was very popular, and the laser tag fieldtrip was a big hit, says Chernick.
The art week was also “surprisingly full.”
Part of the reason the summer camp has been so successful is because of community involvement.
“The support from individuals, businesses and community members has just been huge,” she said, adding a lot of them are already planning on participating next year as well.
“So that’s really positive.”
Another reason if the Youth Centre’s outstanding staff, says Chernick.
“We have a great team that are highly qualified and you can tell they really care about the kids.”
With the summer camp proving to be such a successful format, the Youth Centre plans to build on it for next year.
A parent survey will be sent out at the end of the program, and all feedback, suggestions and comments will be taken into consideration when planning for summer 2020.
There is still room in some of the remaining days for those parents looking for some activities for their children in August. If you’re interest, call the Youth Centre to check for availability and to register.
