This is the letter that family member of youth at Welke house at our Corman Park campus received this spring. The family camp is a way for Ranch Ehrlo youth to spend quality time with their families while working on developing special skills. And of course enjoying a beautiful Saskatchewan camp ground. Welke house is currently the only home that offers this ground breaking experience which helps build relationship between youth and their families.

Families learn how to communicate with each other, how to problem solve, and how to trust each other during the three days at Okema Beach in Christopher Lake. The group takes part in initiative tasks and games to bolster team spirit. The families also make a stop at Buckland, our campus out side of Prince Albert, to work with horses during an equine assisted learning session.

"All transportation and food is provided for the families," explained Dionne Baergen, caseworker at Welke House. "Some families come from as far away as Newfoundland to spend time together."

But what are people saying after experiencing the camp:

"Family camp was great when all the families would participate in the evening activities. What made the camp nice was seeing youth happy to be with their families," stated one person.

Another said, "We had a fantastic turn out last year for family camp and it was phenomenal to see our youth interacting positively with their family members and having lots of fun together...in spite of the weather. The camp was a great opportunity to observe familial traits, patterns of behavior, and a ton of family strengths."

Trudy Bosch