By Ryan McLean
More and more parents are looking to spend time with their children during the summer, thus opening up a brand new business opportunity, called family camp, for members of the Canadian camp industry.
In today’s highly competitive camp industry, camps are having to become much more creative in the programs and services they offer potential customers.
Some offer the lure of flexible session lengths and specialized programs, like magic, circus training and robotics, just to name a few, while others offer the opportunity for entire families to enjoy the wonders of camp — swimming in lakes, eating meals in dining halls and participating in silly evening programs filled with music, laughter and overall good times.
It is the latter, more commonly known as family camp, that is taking the camp industry by storm, and picking up speed as more and more Canadian-based camps continue to examine ways to differentiate themselves from their competition. But before any camp begins to offer a family camp as part of their summer offering, it has to remember that the challenges to operating one are considerable. In the end though, all of the hard work in developing and running a family camp is totally gratifying once one sees moms, dads, kids and even grandparents sharing the camp experience together.
To launch a successful family camp, there are many variables that must be considered, including adapting to trends in general society.
“Families are an important part of the building process,” says Steve Heming, general manager of YMCA Camp Wanakita in Haliburton, Ont. “You are growing not only the child, but the whole family. If you have healthy children and healthy families, you have healthy communities.”
YMCA Camp Wanakita is one camp that has successfully added a family camp to its traditional summer camp offering for children and youth. What began in 1969 with 16 families attending camp during the last week of August has grown into a business that not only generates revenue (not as much as its children’s camp) but also
provides a great opportunity for entire families to enjoy the great outdoors and reconnect with one another, away from the daily rigors of everyday life.
“In 2003,” notes Heming, “seven new weeks were created that saw 60 families registered grow to 200; in 2006, nine weeks were added, which saw a total of 440 families.”
Within the North American camp industry, the family camp movement is a trend definitely gaining popularity. For example, the powers that be at Blue Star Camps in Hendersonville, N.C., viewed family camp as another opportunity to bring families together while enjoying the outdoors.
“In one family’s case, the parents and grandparents were from San Francisco, Calif., and the kids and grandkids were from Virginia. They were looking for a family camp to get together,” says Tom Rosenberg, Blue Star’s director. “The grandparents wanted to spend time with the grandkids and the parents wanted to enjoy the time away not constrained by the young ones.
“It’s an incredible staffing experience to allow parents to gauge how much they as adults want to enjoy camp,” he adds.
The level of activities family camps provide varies from basic to specialty. Some families may want an array of options for their kids to participate in, such as performing arts, high and low ropes and canoeing.
At Camp Nominingue’s family camp in Quebec, canoe tripping stands above the rest; going hand in hand with this favourite pastime is the fact that families, according to Velos Christou, the former executive director of Camp Nominingue, can also participate in making cedar-canvas canoes.
“Families have the option of taking day trips, overnight family trips, overnight trips for kids and teens, as well as an adult solo overnight experience, which has become very popular,” he adds.
Family camp, however, is not all fun and games. There are serious operational aspects that must be considered before a camp opens its doors to families.
Rosenberg points out that “you must cover the legal aspects” with a waiver release included into the enrolment form so the camp can protect itself from risks it can potentially be deemed negligent for, like medical care. When children attend camp by themselves, camp staff must include a doctor and nurse to meet all daily medical needs, where as at family camp, the parents take on that responsibility.
Strong staffing choices are also essential in building family camp programs and projecting the right attitude. For Heming, to successfully launch and sustain a family camp over time, you also must have the right facilities.
“We have a waterfront with 1,200 feet of sandy beach, so this plays to our interests,” he notes, adding that at Wanakita’s family camp parents have access to a refrigerator 24 hours a day, just in case they need certain items, such as milk.
Christou says camps can be a little more flexible with family camps, specifically referring to cancellation policies and registration processes, which are far more open than regular camp policies. As an example, guests often change their plans mid-stay, which means camps have to be prepared for this.
“This means office staff need to be highly organized to deal with all the alterations as they occur, in addition to being flexible with program offerings,” says Christou.
It makes a lot more work for the office staff, but in the end the guests “really feel appreciated,” he adds.
And similar to regular camp, many family camps have strict policies regarding smoking and alcohol consumption — both of which are often prohibited or are allowed under stringent guidelines. Some family camps permit family members (i.e., guests) to consume alcohol during their stay, as long as it is in moderation.
In the end though, family camps require marketing, for if no one knows about it, nobody will attend. In marketing the concept of family camp, Heming suggests using parent-focused magazines, an internal mailing list of past families and/or current campers and newspaper advertising.
For Rosenberg, the campers who have attended the camp are a strong source to build from and will, if impressed, convey this to family and friends because “you don’t have to re-invent the wheel,” to operate a successful family camp.
Ryan McLean is a freelance writer based in St. Catharines, Ont.
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