Summer outdoor day camp to be offered at Trout Lake!

We are pleased to announce that, with the Vancouver Park Board, the Trout Lake Community Centre Association (TLCCA) will be running an outdoor day camp this summer. The seven weeks of camp will begin on July 20.

Outdoor summer camps will operate across the city and in 18 neighbourhood parks as well as VanDusen Botanical Garden.

Registration for these outdoor camps opens on Monday, June 29 at 9:00 a.m. Details here.

Day camp participants aged 6-12 will partake in activities like sports, cooperative games, arts and crafts, theatre, dance parties, entertainers, and special guests! Campers will also go on walking out-trips to explore nearby nature.

Because community centres remain closed, all activities and out-trips will be held outdoors within walking distance of the camp’s home base and with access to playgrounds, washrooms, and field houses. No public transit or charter buses will be used. Children will be divided into pods of 5 and will have a designated leader all week.

Health and safety at the forefront

Due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols such as leader to child ratio, Trout Lake’s camp will feature 20 spots. All day camp activities will be COVID-19 safety compliant and will follow Provincial Health Officer, Vancouver Coastal Health, and BC Recreation and Parks Association guidelines. 

Children, youth, and parents will be asked to arrive at designated check-in/out locations on staggered schedules. Day camp leaders (one leader per five children) will guide children to designated and physical distanced activity areas marked with clear signage.

The following guidelines will also be implemented:

• Parents will complete a daily verbal health screening with staff, who will document responses and retain for records.
• Children will be assigned individual bags of supplies, such as scissors, and markers, for use throughout the week and stored on site. At the end of each week items will be disinfected to allow use by another child.
• Sports equipment will be stored in bins and cleaned after use.
• Clear instructions on hand washing before and after each activity will be provided and children directed to avoid physical touching and to practice physical distancing.
• High touch surfaces will be regularly cleaned.

Community connections

“Day camps provide childcare for working parents and opportunities for children to recreate and socialize with peers, as well as employment, training, and volunteer opportunities for local youth,” underscored Park Board Chair Camil Dumont.

Indeed, Trout Lake’s summer camps, in addition to being an amazing experience for participating kids, are annually a major accomplishment in terms of youth community building and employment skill building. TLCCA is grateful to Trout Lake’s Community Youth Worker, Youth Council, and all staff at the Centre for having consistently nurtured this dynamic and devoted segment of the Trout Lake community!

Restart Smart planning

As you may have seen a few weeks ago, TLCCA joined with other Vancouver Community Centre Associations to disseminate a survey regarding patrons’ views on restart priorities. Thank you to all who gave their input. We are doing our utmost to thoughtfully navigate the complexities that the City and Park Board face in restarting recreation services. We so miss being in our beautiful Centre with you, but at the same time we are thankful for all the efforts of our public health sector and also of Vancouverites that have led to the flattening of the curve.

For more information about camps and other recent Park Board announcements as part of #RestartSmartVancouver, please refer to the Park Board’s press release.