You know when people say that Disneyland is their favorite place on earth? Well, screw Disneyland…read morebecause this is my happiest place on earth! I attended Canoe Island as a kid for 7 straight summers. Those were the happiest times of my life. I was able to go back as an adult for a Yoga Weekend two years ago and the magic has not been lost. If you love the outdoors, fresh air, and a true unique experience, then you must experience Canoe Island! Sigh...I wish I was there right now! Send your kids there or spend an adult weekend enjoying yoga or cooking tasty cuisine. I promise, you won't be disappointed!

My daughter is in her 4th year here, having started going to a 2 week session in the 5th Grade…read more She love Canoe and everything about it. Wonderful counselors, great sessions, amazing food ( and french cooking lessons), gorgeous setting, and all the while effortlessly (so it seems) improving her french. Thanks Canoe!

I am a participant of The YES, and I am happy to say that loud and proud. The YES changed me for…read morethe better in my life now and in my future. Going into camp I was a outgoing person but on the inside I was still scared, I was still not ready to show who I really was and I didn't think I could be myself around others. After 7 amazing days with 50 other amazing participants and a staff so unbelievable I can't even think of words to describe I don't have those fears anymore. I'm happy with who I am and I'm not afraid to show it. I've only been to this camp once, in grade 10 and I am super excited to be attending again this summer as a camper once again. I cannot wait to meet new people and new staff and do new activities and just have camp running through my blood again! I want to say thank you to the staff and participants that made my experience at The YES so amazing. As an added bonus I met my best friend at camp, and even though we don't live on the same land mass we still are inseparable because of our amazing camp bond, or at least I like to think so. I would highly recommend this camp to ANY teenager out there, leadership camp may sound cheesy to you but I'm telling you from the bottom of my heart it's life changing.

I'm a participant of The YES, and let me say this. The program that is offered, along with the…read moreloving, accepting, and perfect environment brought to these camps, has changed my life in so many ways. I've been going to these camps for 4 years, 5 this summer. Starting at the beginning of highschool, grade 9, and not really knowing where life was going to take me. But I found out about this camp, and I took a chance. "Leadership camp" sounds kinda cheesy right? But it was worth it. From getting on a bus and meeting all these exceptional youth with a desire to change the world, to going to bed each night surrounded by youth that care and love me for just being myself. Utter strangers, turning out to be the best friends I have ever had. It doesn't matter where you come from, the past you've had, or anything that happens at school / home. Coming to the camp, you can cast away your worries, and spend that time being yourself. Not the person that you've been shaped to be through school and society. If you want to sing your heart out, then you can. If you want to do something crazy, there will be people who will happily join you. Why though? Acceptance. Pure and utter acceptance for everyone you spend that time with. When I came to the camp, I had no idea where life was taking me. Spent everyday going through the motions of life, but not truly experiencing anything. But through the love, acceptance, and general atmosphere of camp, that has entirely changed. I live my life how I want to live it, not to be controlled by others. If you're considering signing up, or signing up someone else for the program, I would highly recommend it. A week away from the city, out on a lake, full of youth, and having the time of your life. What do you have to lose? Nothing. An experience worth more then anything in the world is what you will find. You might find yourself happier then you ever have been, making the best friends you've ever had, maybe even crying at the end once everyone has to go their own way. This program has changed my life, and I don't know where I would be without it. If you're even just thinking about it, take the chance and try. I guarantee you'll have fun :) . I'm returning this summer for my 5th and final year, with addition to applying for staff. Whatever may happen, I have loved the program, and hope that it continues to touch others lives like it did for mine. ~Brennan Dusik

I was hired by this organization based on my 20 years of experience working with children. After…read morethree days of work I was let go and told that a reference had come back negative. On speaking to my references I discovered that none of them were contacted. I believe my former spouse, who has been very dishonest in the past contacted them. She's gone out of her way many times to contact employers, girlfriends and former employers in order to discredit me. I was not told what was said and I was given no opportunity to defend myself. Not a good way to treat employees. Very disappointing. On confronting the executive I was told that she was unwilling to go into it. She said I could seek legal advice, but it wouldn't do any good. Incredibly hurt and frustrated with the way I was treated and dehumanized in this process and I believe I may have been discrimated against based on a personal disability. Not even sure how to proceed at this point.

From the owner: Give your child a jump start on learning by bringing them to the Kids Klub Centre in Victoria. We…read moreoffer before and after school programming, as well as summer day camps. They'll participate in innovative and dynamic activities with kids in the same peer group. And since happy children are nourished children, your child will also have the opportunity to participate in our brown bag lunch program. For further information about our childcare services, please contact us.

I've been going her since before I can remember. I first leant about the place through my Mother's…read moreexperiences at Webbs, as a child as well. I am 17 now, volunteering my spring and summer breaks to work at the camp I feel changed me the most! As a kid I loved tons of activities like all the games, swimming, sports day and of course all the crafty things I got to take home with me. Reaching my adult years and I still love the sport of Riding and the experience of being around horses. Working at Webbs gives me a chance to help and give back to other children. My family at Webbs is forever expanding, and if you're thinking of sending your child here, I can only give you support! working at Webbs gives you a whole different perspective on how things are run, compared to as when your a child actually staying at the camp. a basic broken down list of the week for you (long weeks) Sunday-Saturday (short weeks) Monday-Friday FIRST DAY: its basically all the rules, guide lines and all the "what you need to know" things. You walk up to the fields with the consolers to visit all of the horses, and when you return you go to your dorm to get beds and dorm rules sorted out. Snack is served and a camp fire is put on just before bed. EARLY IN THE WEEK: BELL RINGS!! TIME FOR BREAKFAST! After breakfast is the first dorm inspection, this is where the messiest dorm, after provided cleaning time, is choosing to clean the tables at lunch, dinner (that day) and breakfast tomorrow! (don't worry its fun!) Children get divided into mixed groups so there are enough horses for each child in a group. Groups ride at different times of the day and rotate order on the following days. In the morning groups who are not riding do activities and games with their group leaders like; Manhunt, Kick The Can, Octopus ect. There is a playground, volley ball court, basket ball court, gym, arts and crafts room and of course the pool! After lunch the remaining group(s) go riding and other groups get into the groove of games :) MIDDLE OF THE WEEK: Because they're so many options of things to do, it keeps everyone busy throughout the week. Another activity that is from Webbs Holiday Acres traditions is sports day, where pool and field events are held and groups compete friendly against each other, and cheer on friends during events. END OF THE WEEK: The first half of the week goes the slowest with everyone still getting to know everyone and their surroundings, but by the middle and the end of the week, you can hear everyone complaining how the week is coming to an end. A very cool and fun way to bring the week to an end, is how Webbs does the last full day at camp!! after riding, activities and dinner Kangaroo Court is held where any child with any kind of crime that week has to face the wrath of one of Webbs judges. crimes range anything from falling off of your horse (punishment might be: hug/kiss the ground and thank it for catching you) or Julie for always wearing dresses, (punishment might be: must wear pants for the rest of Kangaroo court) We always encourage good things and lots of children get to go home with a horseshoe for being a good friend, good rider, or helper at the barn. After this entertaining trial everyone runs for their dorms to get ready for the DANCE!!! The dance was always my favourite part of the week, because you had your friends established, and that night you just let loose, have a little bit to much candy and sing and dance the night away with your friends. Thats my little summary of Webbs Holiday Acres, I hope you give it a try! I'll see you there!! ;) Danielle (probably 10+ years of Webbs Summers)

Webb's Holiday Acres is a family-run operation that has been headed up by the same people for over…read more35 years. More importantly, it's an outstanding summer experience for kids who love (and want to ride) horses and want to make new friends. I know this firsthand, having spent many summers as a child at Webb's in the past. Looking back, spending an entire week (6 nights, 7 days) away from your parents, in a different setting, with all sorts of new people and daily activities, is a really great way to grow as a kid. FYI: Some of these activities included: campfire songs and storytelling, trail riding horses, going to a non-school dance, participating in skits, playing capture the flag, etc, etc. I recommend this place to my friends who are parents now, and still sometimes go and visit. Since it's only 50-minute drive from central Vancouver, it still feels like a convenient country escape. Some of the friendships I made during my summers here have lasted a lifetime.

I did a wedding here a few weeks ago and loved the vibe. Such a lovely summer camp location with…read morelots to do- beautiful background of Lake Crescent.

Damn dudes, how am I snagging the first review on this one?…read more I recently came here for a wedding. It was good. It was probably the best wedding I've ever been to. It felt like a summer camp. For adults. Why? Because it pretty much *is* a summer camp, for kids. NatureBridge is a non-profit that does nature things with kids to make them more nature-y. I don't know the details, go to their website! Anyway, the wedding took place over 3 days. Guests stayed in bunk beds, in cabins. Had group meals provided. Went canoeing. And enjoyed nearby trailheads. The venue is historic and gorgeous. What could be better than getting married next to a ginormous lake in a massive National Park? The food was good and they even catered to folks with weird diets. The whole setup reminded me a lot of the Mazama Lodge on Mt Hood. The staff was also incredible: funny, charming, talented, and beyond helpful! If you're into getting married, consider here. Everyone else, cross your fingers and hope you get invited to one.

My experience at Camp Orkila is from the 1970s. Not sure of…read moreour particulars as to how we got there other than it was either through Y-Indian Guides (which despite being a really great experience between fathers and sons has likely died as the whole gender confusion thing we got going on struck a political nerve somewhere), or through the school system. This camp provided a common experience that I have had positively reinforced over the years with business associates, sports club members, through area social activities and many other events with people who were local to the Seattle area as children. It was a bit rough and we came home a bit hungry and smelling like campfire. This was the best way possible for us as kids from the pavement of greater Seattle to begin to understand Puget Sound, native populations and history and the rich forests that were everywhere past the edge of a parking lot. So, it is with some sadness that I read how some reviews here seem to miss the points that really made this place a valuable and safe learning environment for me and my peers. I was split up from my friend group and bunked with kids I didn't know. I hated it I also badly needed to have that experience despite it's ommission from the brochure. I think, and deeply, that those times allowed for fewer expectations which in turned allowed for a more broad perspective as to our control or lack of it, our marriage to nature It would become of immeasurable value in the kids who would grow up to be the stewards of the PNW. I understand the change of time as much as I understand how some qualities should not and don't change with time. Camp Orkila delivered both. Not like in the myriad of camp pamplets I see now, but in ways even the Camp did not necessarily include as part of the spiel. Thanks Camp Orkila. Kindly written by one of the thousands of wet, fascinated campers wearing bell bottom jeans in the 1970s.

I went here a while back on a school trip. The food was awful and a few things were even expired,…read moreresulting in some students throwing up and others not eating at all. Asides from this, all I have to say is that they hardly let you have any cabin time to relax except for nights and a few minutes in the morning. The staff were fairly kind, and activities were entertaining though!