“Working at Moorelands Camp has been one of the biggest positive influences in my life “
PennyLane, Moorelands Camp staff.
PennyLane has worked at Moorelands Camp for the past four years and is excited to join us again as camp staff on Kawamaga Lake this summer. Here she shares her experiences of working at Moorelands Camp and describes the positive impact it makes, not only in the lives of the campers, but in the staff too!
“When I first came to Moorelands Camp, I was 17. The camp I spent my childhood at, as a camper, did not hire me as there were too many people applying for only a few spots. I was devastated, that camp had been a central part of life and was something I always looked forward to. It was where I made friends who I felt I could fit with, taught me so many relevant skills, and provided a sense of stability, confidence, and grounding in my childhood / pre-adult city living life. However, I knew that I still wanted to work at a camp and so I applied to Moorelands. Little did I know, at the time, that Moorelands would come to matter so much more.
“Working at Moorelands Camp has been one of the biggest positive influences in my life.
“The things I learned and the friends I made, have stayed with me, and I believe will stay a part of my life forever. I study Environmental Geography at the University of Guelph, and honestly while I’m passionate about it, it is eye opening. Sitting in class, I hear about the issues with food sustainability, and how too many people live in food insecure homes. I study how climate change is already displacing people around the world, and how those who are currently the most negatively affected are those who live in poverty. I learn about how much our current system disadvantages many because of the unequal distribution of wealth. To put it simply it makes me sad, and then overwhelmed, because I want to find a way to solve all of these problems and obviously that’s a lot more than I can chew.
“This may sound corny but Moorelands is a light amongst a lot that is troubling in the world.
“Kids are the future, being a kid is tough, and every child deserves the chance for equal opportunity no matter what their background is. The sense of togetherness and community that Moorelands Kids provides, and the fact that you can see the positive impact that the camp has on some kids, even if it is just to get them out of the city and in nature, is what makes it so full of that warm light. In an ideal world, the whole world would operate with the same sense of community that Moorelands emphasizes, but I know that is a dreamy thought. Moorelands is something, however small in the grand scheme of things, that is helping solve those overwhelming problems, and I am so grateful to be a part of it. Grateful to have grown immensely from my experience, and still apply everything I learned to life outside of camp. Grateful that it has confirmed that I want to be a teacher and continue working, with, and being a positive role model for kids. Grateful that it exists, and that I have been, and hope to continue contributing, to the positive impact that Moorelands has.”
Apply to work at Moorelands Camp and be a part of the positive impact Moorelands Kids has!
