Month: June 2020

Fireside Recap & Virtual Bracelets!

Posted on by Alec Amato

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Thursday night for the first our Virtual Summer Fireside Series with Peter Katz. His messages of following your dreams and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone are more important now than ever before. We were grateful that so many of us joined together as a Manitou community on what should have been the first night of our 2020 season, even if only virtually. We heard some cabins and groups of camp friends were even able to have socially distanced viewing parties – as Peter said last night, camp is about the people rather than the place. It was also so special for us to have Tanisha, Shrimal and Vinta Bhatt from our Manitou family read our fireside poem all the way from India.
For those of you who were unable to join us for the YouTube livestream, we have included a recording of the evening below – we encourage you all to watch Peter Katz’s moving performance.

WATCH THE FIRESIDE LIVESTREAM

UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING
We had such a great time last week at our virtual egg drop competition! It was amazing to watch everyone get so creative with limited items from outdoors, a little tape and some toilet paper!

Are you missing being on the crafts porch with your camp friends? Well you can now join the Virtual Bracelets program! CLICK HERE to purchase a kit that includes all the materials for 2 camp bracelets and a pre-stamped envelope. Make a bracelet for you and send a bracelet to someone else! All proceeds from the project will go to the Fred Victor COVID-19 Fund. Let’s get crafty for a cause!

2020 MANITOU SWAG

It’s been a busy first week at our Manitou Virtual Pop Up Shop! Our first orders of the coziest 2020 Manitou swag have been packed and are ready to go. Orders are only available for pick up from our Toronto office (2478 Yonge Street). We are open 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS ONLY! Call or Text 705-346-0835 when you arrive and we will bring out your items. Clothing is going fast so place your order now at https://manitoucampclothing.square.site/ to avoid disappointment!

TONIGHT AT 7PM EST: Virtual Fireside with Peter Katz!

Posted on by Alec Amato
Tonight would have been the first night of camp. We are missing out on welcoming our Manitou campers both new and old off the buses, eating our classic chicken burger dinner, running through the activity fair, raising our camp flag and settling into our bunks for summer 2020.

While we are not able to be together in person as a Manitou family, tonight we will host the first of our Summer Fireside Series. Please join us from home for what is sure to be an uplifting evening. We will welcome Juno Award winning Canadian Artist Peter Katz who had planned on joining us up at camp this summer. Peter will present a musical and story telling performance of “Why I Seek Discomfort”. He will share his journey about how it takes difficult times to become stronger and more resilient. Through his personal story we will hear how he never thought he would reach his dreams, but through adversity came opportunity! In addition, we will have our classic fireside traditions of singing the camp song, reading the poem and hearing from Mark and Jeff. CLICK HERE for the Manitou camp song lyrics if needed.

Grab your tuck, some Manitou swag and get ready to be inspired by Peter’s message and music. Let’s reunite virtually as a camp community and celebrate who we are as a Manitou family.

The Virtual Fireside will be streamed via YouTube Live. Please click the button below to join the stream. If you have any technical issues, please e-mail us for assistance.

YOUTUBE LIVE STREAM
We hope to see all of our Manitou families, staff and friends both new and old come together this evening.

-Mark, Jeff, Jen, Alec & Melissa

📣THE 2020 SWAG IS HERE: Our 1st Virtual Camp Pop Up Shop!

Posted on by Alec Amato

THE WAIT IS OVER!

OUR 2020 MANITOU CLOTHING STORE IS FINALLY OPEN!

EXCLUSIVE ONLY TO THE GTA – PICKUP ONLY.

 

 

HOW DOES IT WORK? Go to https://manitoucampclothing.square.site/ and add some of your favourite new Manitou swag to the cart and proceed to checkout.

HOW DO I PICK UP? Clothes are available for pick only from our Toronto office (2478 Yonge Street). Pick up is between 10:00 AM – 2:00PM ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS ONLY! Call or Text (705)-346-0835 when you arrive and we will bring out your items. Your confirmation email will include your scheduled pick up day.

WHY? Due to an overwhelming demand from our Manitou Families and the success of our past pop up shops! Snag some of our amazing new 2020 apparel to enjoy this summer at home, your backyard or up north!  

WHAT? Our famous ‘Vintage Havana’ Collection of Manitou Clothing. We have loads of new styles in what may be the coziest, most comfortable and stylish camp clothing anywhere on the planet!

NOT SURE WHAT TO GET? One of the fun parts of the tuck shop is picking out your own clothing! Consider buying a gift card for a family member or friend and allow them to shop themselves!

While we are not able to be together up at camp this summer, we hope our 2020 swag will keep some of the Manitou spirit alive from home.

 

GET INSPIRED: Summer Fireside Series!

Posted on by Alec Amato
MAP-Fireside
Friday Night Fireside embodies who we are as a community and it’s vital we keep this special connection all summer long. We are excited to announce our Fireside Summer Series program where we will offer 3 impactful evenings for our camp community on June 25, July 16 and August 13. We very purposefully chose the dates in June and August to coincide with the first and last days of our regular camp season, where we would traditionally raise and lower the flag for Summer 2020. Though we are unable to come together in person this summer, we know it’s of utmost importance to continue to inculcate core values virtually with our Manitou campers and staff. Please read below to learn about our inspirational speakers for this summer and save the dates. We hope you will be able to join us!

JUNE 25: WITH ADVERSITY COMES OPPORTUNITY

Next Thursday, we will welcome Juno Award winning Canadian Artist Peter Katz to kick off the first of our Fireside Summer Series. Peter will present a musical and story telling performance of “Why I Seek Discomfort”. He will share his journey about how it takes difficult times to become stronger and more resilient. Through his personal story we will hear how he never thought he would reach his dream, but through adversity came opportunity! While Peter had planned on joining us up at camp this summer, we are glad he is able to share his story with us virtually on what would have been our first night at camp. Join us for what is sure to be an inspiring and entertaining evening.

JULY 16: HOW TO SPEAK UP AND MAKE REAL CHANGE

Many of us have shown our support for the Black community here in Toronto and around the world, but that is not enough. We all need to learn to create real change, take responsibility and commit to addressing these systemic issues together as Manitou family. Even at home in Toronto, Canada we are not immune to this global reality and we have an obligation to learn from those with lived experience so we can finally make real and lasting change in our communities. You will hear from several speakers about racism, prejudice and the Black experience here in our country and around the world. We are proud to hear the stories of Orlando Bowen, Jama Mahlalela, Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa and Anthony Maclean who was a part of fireside speaker series last summer. They will teach us how to rise up and take those next steps so we can truly make a difference.

Orlando Bowen was a linebacker for the CFL in the 2000s. His career was sadly cut short after he suffered a severe concussion at the hands of two corrupt police officers. Orlando has turned his experience into a position and founded One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization to inspire and to teach resilience, leadership and teamwork to youth.

Jama Mahlalela started with the in 2006 as a member of the community development staff, leading the Raptors Basketball Academy and various clinics throughout Canada. Mahlalela is now the new head coach for the of the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. Jama will share with us the discrimination he and countless others have experienced throughout his career in Basketball.

When Chika Stacy Oriuwa started medical school at the U of T four years ago, she was the only Black person in a class of over 250 students. She triumphantly graduated this June as the valedictorian. We will learn about Dr. Oriuwa overcoming the adversity she has encountered and the success of her advocacy, which resulted in 24 Black medical students being admitted to the university’s medical program for the class of 2024, which is the largest group in Canadian history.

We are also thrilled to welcome back Anthony McLean. He is a rapper, YouTuber and motivational speaker and will remind us what it truly means to be an inclusive community where differences are celebrated, and issues like privilege and racism are things we can be open about.

AUGUST 13: CREATING CONNECTIONS

We are excited to announce our new partnership with Baycrest, a global leader in geriatric residential living. We will be taking part in Baycrest’s “Adopt a Grandparent” initiative, with a pilot group exclusive to our 2020 CITs. This will allow our counsellors in training to connect with seniors in our community, one of the most vulnerable and isolated populations right now, and embody our Manitou values of supporting and learning from the wisdom of the older generation. At this Fireside, our CITs will share their impactful experiences and the powerful connections made through the program with our camp community.

One of the charities we had intended to partner with this summer was Make a Wish Canada, who provide life changing wishes to severely ill children. We often forget during this pandemic that many children’s lives were impacted long before COVID-19 – cooped up in hospitals and only able to us virtual reality and Technology to experience the outside world. We will hear from Make a Wish about the impact of their programs and from a child who had to postpone their wish.

Egg Drop Competition, Bracelet Making, Card Hunt & More!

Posted on by Alec Amato

IT’S TIME FOR OUR EGG DROP COMPETITION!

Come one, come all to Manitou’s Virtual Egg Drop Competition! Can your egg survive the fall? Please join us Wednesday at 5:30 PM EST on ZOOM. You must RSVP in advance – CLICK HERE to sign up for what is guaranteed to a slightly messy and entertaining program! Material list and ZOOM link will be sent to all participants in advance! We hope to see you there!

CAMPER SPOTLIGHT: HALEY’S CARD HUNT!
Our camper Haley Maser created Card Hunt – a card making service that supports a great cause. Receiving a card in the mail makes your friends and family feel very special – especially at a time when you can’t see your loved ones. A portion of the net proceeds from Card Hunt will be donated to Ve’ahavta to help their COVID-19 homeless initiatives. Haley is uploading new cards every day: CLICK HERE to support her creative project with cards for all occasions. Way to go Haley for showing that #ManitouCares!

JOIN THE VIRTUAL BRACELETS PROGRAM!

Are you missing being on the crafts porch with your camp friends? Well you can now join the Virtual Bracelets program, which is launching on June 19th! Purchase a kit that includes all the materials for 2 camp bracelets and a pre-stamped envelope. Make a bracelet for you and send a bracelet to someone else! All proceeds from the project will go to the Fred Victor COVID-19 Fund. Let’s get crafty for a cause!

A TRIBUTE FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MARTINGROVE
Every year in addition to our regular summer season, we are fortunate enough to also share our camp in the Spring and Fall with school groups too. Martingrove Collegiate runs a leadership program at Manitou that is dedicated to helping their students reach their full potential by teaching them to take risks through fun games and activities which lets them grow as an individual. The program is organized by the older students who work together with teachers to develop the perfect activities for the campers to participate in. When Martingrove learned that Manitou was unable to open this year, the faculty and students created a video to express their gratitude and appreciation for their time at camp. We are blown away by the effort that was put into creating this tribute and are overwhelmed by the heartfelt words from their participants. We cannot wait to welcome them back in 2021.

Virtual Programming: Drama/Game Show Club & Story Time!

Posted on by Alec Amato
We are very excited to announce this week’s virtual programming! Our Freshkids and Sophomores (Grade 1-5) are invited to a bedtime story with co-owner Mark Diamond on Instagram LIVE on Wednesday at 8:00 PM EST – a perfect way to end the day! For our Juniors, Seniors, CITs and Staff (Grade 6+) you can sign up for a ZOOM Drama Inc./Game Show Trivia Extravaganza with Matt Brundage on Thursday at 5:30 PM EST. You must RSVP in advance – CLICK HERE to sign up for what is sure to be a barrel of laughs and whole lot of fun!

#MANITOUCHALLENGE TIKTOK SUCCESS!
We were overwhelmed by the success of our #manitouchallenge TikTok over the past week! With over 3,000 views and countless submissions, we are pumped to announce that we went viral! It’s not too late to make your own and join in the fun! CLICK HERE to go to our TikTok account and CLICK HERE for the tutorial to learn the dance.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: DANIEL FREDER
Former camper and staff, Daniel Freder is a robotics instructor for high school students. Due to COVID-19, he has pivoted from instructing the students in robotic design to teaching them computer coding through ZOOM. Also, Daniel is using the school’s 3D printers to produce components for face shields for front-line health-care workers. It’s part of a grassroots initiative known as the Protection Collective, a network of dozens running 3D printers who have come together to produce and distribute at least 3,000 face shields so far, with help from community partners. CLICK HERE to read more.

SPECIAL FIRESIDE COMING SOON
We felt it was our duty as an organization to stand with the Black community and not stay silent. While posting on social media this week was an important first step, we know there is much more we need to do with our platform. We must listen from those who have faced adversity and learn as a camp. We are acting swiftly to prepare for a special fireside entitled “how to speak up and make real change”. Stay tuned for more details on our virtual summer Fireside series.

CITS 2020: Adopt a Grandparent Program!

Posted on by Alec Amato

Dear CITs 2020,

We hope you are all doing well. We are excited to announce our new partnership with Baycrest, a global leader in geriatric residential living, healthcare, research, innovation and education, with a special focus on brain health and aging. We will be taking part in Baycrest’s “Adopt a Grandparent” initiative, with a pilot group exclusive to our 2020 CITs. This is a fantastic way to receive community service hours, be part of a new movement and show that #ManitouCares. This will allow you to connect with seniors in our community, one of the most vulnerable and isolated populations right now, and embody our Manitou values of supporting and learning from the wisdom of the older generation.

To take part in the program, you will submit an application, participate in an interview, and attend an orientation to give you the tools to make a meaningful connection. You will then be matched with one of Baycrest’s residents and begin your correspondence. This is an amazing chance to develop a long term relationship with a Baycrest resident and be able to offer them support. We ask that you make a commitment for 1 year until June 2021 to communicate with your match once a week.

We will work closely with Baycrest staff to provide you with leadership and programming opportunities, as well as ongoing support. For now, all communication and programs will be virtual. However, as restrictions change, we hope for you to have the ability to mail cards, meet in person and get involved with on-site Baycrest activities.

Please let us know if you are interested in taking part in this unique opportunity by submitting a form by no later than Tuesday, June 9th.

Choosing to be a part of this program through Manitou will help us to continue to provide you with opportunities to give back and step out of your comfort zone. This will increase your skillset and positively impact both your future camp applications and beyond. As we always recite at the end of our Manitou fireside poem, “double blessed is the generation in which the young listen to the old.”

We look forward to taking the next steps with you, providing you the chance to give back and be fortunate enough to grow from these new connections.