How Summer Camp Changes the Lives of Montreal Families
This summer, thousands of Montreal children will spend their days making friends, learning new skills and creating memories at day camp. For many low-income families, however, that opportunity remains out of reach, leaving parents scrambling to find childcare they can afford.
Esther Obi was lucky enough to avoid that struggle, thanks to the subsidized day camp offered by Sun Youth. Before learning about the program, she thought she or her husband would have to quit school to look after their three school-age children, because they couldn’t afford to send them to camp. He was completing his doctorate while she had returned to school to study database design after spending the previous decade working in customer service.
“I kept thinking, what are the other options? You leave your kids at home, and you just tell the oldest one to take care of the kids? That’s it. There’s no other option.”
It’s not a choice she would ever make, but for some working parents in low-income families, leaving their children unattended when school isn’t in session is something they are forced to do. “People do a lot of things in order to be able to survive… so I’m really grateful for the good job that Sun Youth is doing to help families.”
Thanks to Sun Youth’s day camp, Obi and her husband stayed in school and she ultimately was able to complete her studies.
“For many families, our camp is a lifeline. It’s very affordable compared to other private camps that cost hundreds of dollars per week,” says Sun Youth executive director Marina Boulos, adding that even with a fee of $150, many families still can’t afford it, so at least 40 per cent of the 150 spaces are subsidized. Fees are geared to family income, ensuring that cost is never a barrier for children who would otherwise miss out on the camp experience
It also creates a more inclusive environment where children from different neighbourhoods, cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds build friendships and spend the summer together. It truly reflects the diversity of Montreal.
Boulos is excited that this year’s camp will be run out of the organization’s new headquarters, with its 9,000-square foot gymnasium. Located directly opposite Jarry Park, the camp has easy access to its grounds and swimming pool.
What doesn’t excite Boulos is that one of the camp’s anticipated funding sources was approved at a lower level than requested. Sun Youth applied for funding to support 30 summer positions across the organization but was approved for only 20. Sun Youth has nevertheless committed to hiring all the counsellors needed to ensure the camp can operate safely and at full capacity, creating a funding gap of more than $50,000 in counsellor wages and related employment costs, the single largest shortfall in the camp budget.
She’s hoping that the latest fundraising campaign can cover that budget gap and even help expand the camp in the future, allowing it to subsidize more spots for families in need.
The camp is just one part of the continuum of support that Sun Youth offers to low-income families in Montreal, added Boulos, who explained that donations help operate its food bank, emergency assistance services and sports programs.
“What’s unique about Sun Youth is that a lot of people who come through these doors pay it forward. They may have benefitted either from the food bank, our sports and recreation programs or the day camp and now they work with us, volunteer, or they have become donors.”
She added that many of its counsellors first came to the day camp as children from families that could not otherwise afford a summer camp experience, helping today’s campers build the same confidence, friendships and memories that shaped them.
“It is one of the clearest examples of the long-term impact of the program.”
Obi agrees, adding that her children adored their time in the camp and she loved how the counsellors treated everyone like family. Two of her daughters are now participating in Sun Youth’s basketball program and she is happy for the friendships they have developed there and the life skills they are learning while they are playing.
“I encourage each and every person that can, to give to Sun Youth because they have a great mission,” says Obi. “They are touching lives and are touching families. I’m looking forward to also being able to give back myself one of these days.”
