At-risk youth broaden their Horizons

JUSTIN SKINNER

October 21, 2009

For many Canadians, camp season ends in September. For a group of 30 kids from at-risk communities across Toronto, it lasted a little longer.

Horizon Arts Camp, a registered charity that aims to give youth a chance to participate in top-notch arts programs in idyllic camp settings, recently held an overnight camp session for a group of campers.

The group left from Lawrence Square Mall en route to Camp Tawingo in Huntsville on Friday, Oct. 16.

At Camp Tawingo, campers aged 11 to 16 got a chance to canoe, hike, enjoy campfires and take part in a number of other activities they might otherwise never have had a chance to experience.

Teachers, social workers and social agencies refer the children to the camp as a means of broadening their horizons and giving them a much-needed respite from the busy city.

Because the camp offers programs in music, dance, drama and visual arts, it also opens up their minds to the arts.

Horizon Arts Camp typically offers week-long summer day camp sessions. Camp founder Lisa Phillips said the October trip was a reward of sorts for some of the campers.

"They get to play outdoor games, learn survival skills like fire-building and pitching tents and do environmentally based arts and crafts like woodworking," she said. "It's a way to reward kids who were well behaved and showed dedication to camp which, to be honest, is the majority of our kids," Phillips said.

The camp is funded largely through corporate and individual donations, with families paying a nominal fee to have their children take part. For parents like Carol Landaverde, whose daughter Natasha has attended Horizon Arts Camp since 2004, the fact the camp is subsidized is only part of its appeal.

"This is the kind of program that a lot of kids couldn't afford," she said. "But I've scraped together the money to send Natasha to other camps and they just weren't the same."

Many of the campers have had to overcome bad situations at home or elsewhere in their lives. At camp, they can leave the negativity and social stigma behind, which allows for a truly transformative experience.

"You'll see a kid coming in with behaviour problems or low self esteem and at the end of the session, they're a totally different kid," Landaverde said.

Natasha said she enjoys the camp's artistic elements, particularly the dance sessions, but also relishes the social aspect of the camp.

"You get to meet new people and get closer to your friends," she said. "At school, you don't get to know people as well as you do at camp

.Because the campers’ fees cover only a small portion of the organization’s costs, Horizon Arts Camp holds an annual RIZE fundraising concert featuring professional performers and the camp’s own talented youth. This year’s concert will feature award-winning singer Theresa Tova, CBC Galaxie Rising Star award winner Peter Katz and others, along with two pieces by Horizon Arts Campers.

 

The RIZE Benefit Concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Lawrence Centre For the Arts’ Jane Mallett Theatre. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the St. Lawrence Centre Box Office, by phone at 416-366-7723 or online at www.stlc.com

 

For more information on the camp and its programs, visit www.horizonartscamp.org