FAQ

Braeburn Camp gives kids opportunities to be active in the outdoors, make new friends, and enjoy the summer. Campers will go canoeing, swimming, hiking, play on our low ropes course, participate in camp-wide games, campfire cookouts, make crafts, participate in C-time (our Christian Education time) and sing some campfire great songs! Campers rotate between activities with their cabins and counsellors, but also have time to participate in games and activities with the whole camp. We play Capture The Flag, RumRunners, have a camp dance, and race through the Braeburn Challenge.

Campers also contribute to camp life by helping maintain the facility and do basic chores. Campers set their cabin’s dining table and rotate through washing the dishes, cleaning and tidying outhouses and wash-huts daily. Campers are also responsible for making their beds and tidying their cabins every day, often utilizing props, decorations, and amazing acting skills to put on a show for the mysterious Cabin Inspector!

Meal times are always full of songs and fun with themed meals such as the Mystery Menu Dinner, Backwards Day (Yay, dessert first!), Monk’s Breakfast (silence!) and Fun Utensil spaghetti dinner.

Rain or shine, evenings are spent around the campfire with songs, games, skits, marshmallows and laughs under the midnight sun.

For a current list of camp dates please check our Campers page.

Since many families are coming from the same region, we strongly encourage carpooling. However, if you are sending your son/daughter with another family you must be sure that you send all the appropriate information and documentation, as it is impossible to follow up with you if you don’t come yourself. Similarly, if another friend or family member will be picking up your son/daughter you must indicate that at the time of drop off, send a consented note with your camper, or contact the camp office during the week to speak with the camp director and arrange something.
It is extremely important that you clearly outline how your son/daughter will be picked up from camp, for everyone’s safety.

Campers are supervised 24-hours a day by our qualified and well-trained staff and volunteers. We employ 2 senior directors and 4 counsellors who are trained with First Aid, water safety, and have practiced camp emergency procedures. Certified lifeguards are always on duty during water activities and campers always wear life-jackets/PFDs when boating.
Braeburn also works with fantastic community volunteers and young teens as Counsellors-In-Training (CITs). CITs are 14- and 15-years-old and stay in a cabin with a counsellor to work with the cabin group and learn about leadership and camp life. All volunteers and staff are required to submit a Police Records Check, complete the Commit to Kids: child abuse prevention online training, and be approved by our staffing committee. CITs and counsellors must complete an application and interview process.
Our staff and volunteers are enthusiastic, positive, and inclusive people who have a passion for working with children and love the outdoors.

To ensure the safety of campers, we ask that visitors make arrangements ahead of time through the Camp Registrar. Unannounced visitors during the week disrupt the camp routine and presents a safety concern for campers. The camp phone is used for emergency purposes. However should you urgently need to speak to you child during the week, please contact the Camp Registrar to make arrangements.

Braeburn Camp tries to be as accommodating as possible to ensure that every child who wishes can attend our camp. However, we do have certain physical and capacity limitations that may present some complications for your child. For example, not all of our facilities are wheelchair accessible and the camp is very rustic, with rough trails. There are no showers, hot water or electricity in the cabins. The kitchen is run by volunteers and we do our best to accommodate any allergies or dietary restrictions. We cannot guarantee allergen-free environments but can work with you to develop an individual health plan for your son or daughter. Parents in the past have greatly helped out the staff and volunteers by providing specialized food for campers with restrictions in a separate cooler and mouse-proof bin. In all cases we ask that you contact the Registrar and the Camp Director to discuss any issues and make special arrangements for your camper.

Braeburn is a rustic camp located 1.5 hours from the nearest medical facility. It consists of:
Marston Hall (dinning and kitchen with running water and electricity)
Friesen Hall (multi-purpose building used for crafts, Christian education time, and campfire prep). Frieson also houses the individual boy’s and girl’s wash shacks with cold running water and soap, but no electricity)
4 rustic camper cabins spread out around camp with windows, screens, and firmly closing doors, and front porches)
A boathouse for canoes, paddles, and lifejackets.
Floating dock and swimming raft
Sunny beachfront on Braeburn Lake
4 smaller, volunteer cabins
outhouses for bathroom facilities
Marston Hall and Friesen Hall are wired for electricity. All other buildings are rustic and are equipped with battery-powered smoke detectors.
There is running water in the kitchen sinks and wash-house sinks but no hot water or showers. Campers and staff participate in morning dip to refresh themselves and clean off any camp dirt. It’s camp…they’re going to get dirty!
Outhouses are provided throughout camp next to the washhouse and boys and girls cabins. Each outhouse is cleaned daily by campers and counsellors with disinfectant. Hand sanitizer is provided in each.

Our volunteer cooks provide staff and campers with 3 balanced meals a day as well as afternoon and evening snacks. Counsellors and CITs eat with campers and ensure that they’re getting enough to eat and finish their meals before dessert! Meal times can be loud and chaotic but campers usually love chowing down on homemade lasagna, burgers and salads, grilled cheese, veggies and dip, stir fries, soups, and sandwiches.
Snacks are usually fruit, cookies, and juice. On hot days we enjoy freezies or an ice cream cone, delicious watermelon or cantaloupe. On cooler, rainy days campers warm up with some hot chocolate, rice crispie squares, orange slices or fresh apples.

Braeburn also has some basic rules to ensure that campers are eating properly and getting the energy they need to stay active at camp. Juices are served at meals and we encourage campers to finish at least 2 glasses of water before they have juice.

Here are some additional meal “rules” that might be good to know while sharing a meal at Braeburn:
The Camp Director must eat spaghetti with a giant, industrial-sized potato masher.
No trading Giant Utensils in for a “better” one. Caesar salad might be difficult to eat with a whisk but that’s the fun of it!
The Announcements song can only be sung when the director says the word “announcements”
Grace is to be said before every meal: with gusto!
Please and Thank-You’s to all the cooks must be delivered with abundance.
Watch for pudding!

A kit list is provided with your registration package. Please follow it closely as many activities will continue rain or shine. You camper MUST have a rain jacket, a water bottle, a sun hat, and closed-toe shoes (running shoes). Without these items, your child may miss out on some fun!
Please label everything so it can be returned to the camper when they leave it behind at the dock, or the campfire, or in the dinning hall, or on the trail, or at the beach, or at “low ropes” …And everyone leaves something behind. Avoid scented items (soaps, toothpaste, deodorants) as they attract animals.

Please DO NOT send you child to camp with any electronics aside from cameras. Camp life can be rather rough on these items and things easily get broken or lost.

Remember to put all your camper’s toiletries in a small bag or kit that they can leave in the wash hut.
Warm clothes are essential as it can get rather chilly some days.

If you need to pick up your camper early, please let the directors know when you drop off your son or daughter. That way we can ensure that he or she is packed up and ready to go when you arrive, and that he or she has all belongings. If something comes up at the last minute and you need to pick up your son or daughter early, please let the camp office know, and they will contact us at camp.

Braeburn Camp employs a lifeguard to supervise all water activities, and many of our volunteers and counsellors have water safety certifications. All campers are required to complete a swim test in order to be able to swim without a lifejacket. If a camper does not want or cannot complete these requirements then he or she will be required to wear a lifejacket when swimming. Not to worry though, many campers choose to wear lifejackets when swimming because they can float around and play games, as our waterfront is quite deep.

Braeburn Camp has a volunteer application form that can be downloaded, just click on the volunteer link.