OTTAWA, Ontario – Just like the tulips that sprout around the capital every year, camps at Carleton University are a perennial sign of summertime. Now having expanded to over 20 different summer camp offerings, Carleton Camps have been a staple of Ottawa summer for nearly 50 years.
The uniqueness of summer camps at Carleton University comes from the access to Ravens varsity coaches and athletes. Every year, approximately 90 of the country’s top athletes and coaches work with camp participants to enhance sport specific skills in hockey, football, ringette, soccer, basketball, and more. Because of the level expertise available, many of these camps regularly reach maximum capacity.
Ravens coaches and players work with youth athletes of all ages.
Alongside of teaching sport specific skills to community athletes, Carleton Camps are perfect for campers who just want to have some fun. Multisport Camps are the starting point for many young campers who are introduced to a variety of activities up to and beyond the traditional list of sports and games. The youngest campers often begin with the Mini Ravens camps (ages 4-5) before graduating through to Junior Multisport (ages 6-7), Multisport (ages 8-10), and Senior Multisport (ages 11-14).
It’s not just the campers that benefit from the Carleton Camp programs; they are also a major source of community employment. Every summer, hundreds of applications are received by Carleton Athletics for camp counsellor positions. These require CPR and First-Aid certification as well as background checks, and are highly coveted summer jobs, with little turnover and many staff members staying on for up to five years. Because of the certifications required, many of the Carleton Camp staff come with a strong background in sport and/or education in youth development.
Last summer, nearly 7,500 children and youth attended Carleton Summer Camps, PD Day Camps, and March Break Camps, making it one of the highest attended years on record. With provincial health restrictions imposed for the 2020 summer, Carleton Athletics has remodelled many of their camps to be available in online and half-day formats. Youth online programming includes:
- Online Creative Writing Camp
- Virtual Leadership Camp
- Online Summer Conditioning Program
- Summer Lifesaving
Several of the sports camps that have become Carleton staples will also be available as half-day camps including:
Registration for summer camps and online youth programs is now open. Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carleton Camps remain a mainstay of summertime in Ottawa.
