Winter camp for Welke House
Therapeutic camping has long been a tradition at Ranch Ehrlo Society, serving as a core group-living program activity each summer. Whether group living programs stay at provincial parks throughout Saskatchewan, road-trip to the Rockies, or find small gems located closer to home – the benefits of having new and novel experiences together in the outdoors fosters connection, confidence, and camaraderie amongst youth and staff.
Without the confines of walls and the structure of solid routines, camp allows everyone a breath of fresh air – quite literally. New responsibilities are divided among the group, skills are inherited, and exploration and discovery are naturally embraced as the environment all around has changed. Even more so, youth can engage in land-based learning as they build fire, navigate trails, listen to Elders’ stories around the fire, and observe nature cycles all around.
While many of these activities happen under sunny skies and starry nights throughout the months of June through August, one Ranch Ehrlo program has made it a tradition to experience a rush of adventure with an annual winter camp at Echo Valley Provincial Park.
Corman Park’s Welke House loaded up their van again this year, with their navigation set for Echo Lake, located in the scenic Qu’Appelle Valley some 70 kilometres east of Regina. The campground is well maintained and remains a popular winter destination, serving as a seasonal hub for outdoor enthusiasts. With heated yurts to keep campers warm and a variety of nearby outdoor recreational activities available, it offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy the winter months.
This was the second year Welke House has embarked on a winter camp – and it certainly won’t be the last.
“Winter camping creates resiliency in the youth as they need to start fires to stay warm and entertain themselves in ways that don’t apply to summer camping,” explained Amanda Talbot, youth care leader at Welke House. “It’s a better bonding experience as we spend more time together as a group.”
Ten youth and three staff made the journey south on the weekend of February 27 to enjoy a weekend of skiing, ice fishing, outdoor play, and a visit to Regina’s SkyPark.
Youth Care Worker Shelby Kozinski enjoyed her first winter camp experience and said Friday’s visit to Mission Ridge Ski Resort was a highlight for everyone.
Skiing was followed by a special Saturday morning visit by Alphones Obey, a friend of the Ranch. Alphones visited the youth at camp to introduce himself, share Indigenous teachings, and tell stories with deep themes and life lessons. The kids connected almost instantaneously, said Shelby, as they gravitated to his easy-going personality and charisma.
“One of the boys we support now in our program used to live on the Pilot Butte campus so for him seeing Alphones was really cool because it was a reunion of sorts. I think that also made it easier for the other kids to connect with Alphones because there was already familiarity and trust achieved by one of their peers.”
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the outdoors, ice fishing on Echo Lake, and enjoying s’mores by the fire. While everyone was keen on the winter adventure and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, it was the important preparation that helped make the weekend an overwhelming success.
Youth, especially those at Ranch Ehrlo, thrive most when there are routines and predictability in place. The Welke staff, being aware of this, set the kids up for success by talking early and extensively about the winter camp. This emotional preparedness helped hype up the group and gave them the confidence and excitement to try something new and something out of their comfort zones – in a safe environment with staff and peers by their side for support.
“When staff are excited about something, it’s easier for the kids to be excited about it. It also helped that for some of the kids, this was their second winter camp, so they were able to share their experiences with the others and that helped build excitement,” explained Shelby.
Overall, the winter camp was a great experience that helped bring the group closer together.
“Camps are always a great opportunity to build bonds and make special memories that kids will remember for years after they leave us,” said Shelby. “I hope they take away that it’s OK to be excited about new things and it’s fun to try new activities – I hope they know to believe in themselves and to be brave enough to try.”