It takes a lot of trust to send your child away for a week, and we don’t take the responsibility lightly! At Mini-Yo-We, our first organizational priority is the safety of our campers. A safe environment is the foundation for a fun summer camp experience.
We have a great team that works hard year-round to ensure the safety of the over 2,000 individual campers who visit us every summer. In fact, we do a lot to provide the highest level of safety for each and every guest. Here are just seven of the ways that we work to ensure every camper is as safe as possible:
- Rigorous Staff Selection Process // Staff are chosen after undergoing a thorough application and screening process (including a Criminal Record Check). We also provide pre-summer staff training. In fact, we offer longer pre-summer training than any other camp we know of in Ontario!
- Waterfront Safety // National Lifeguard Service (NLS) certified lifeguards provide a safe environment for all Mini-Yo-We waterfront activities. Our team goes above and beyond regular waterfront safety standards to ensure this area exceeds industry standards and expectations.
- Third-Party Certifications // Every year, our ropes courses, ziplines, and adventure activities are certified by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority. This certification ensures that our equipment meets the highest safety standards. (Did you that we endure the same level of checks that Canada’s Wonderland does!?) Our kitchens are regularly inspected by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit to ensure we are consistently meeting their health regulations. Every kitchen is staffed by team members with up-to-date Ontario Food Handler Certifications in order to follow the latest best practices in food preparation and handling. We are also members in good standing with Plan to Protect. This organization outlines the highest standards of abuse prevention and protection for the vulnerable sector.
- On-site Medical Staff // On-site medical staff in the summer includes three or four registered nurses. For the busiest weeks of the summer, we often have a doctor on-site as well to support this team. We also have two well-stocked health centres, including AEDs.
- Close to Hospital // One full-service hospital is located within a quick drive from our front gate (Huntsville District Memorial Hospital at a distance of 16km from Camp). This ensures a speedy ambulance response time in those rare cases that we need to make this call.
- Financial Audit // Every year, Camp is financially audited by a third-party accounting firm. These publicly available audits ensure that our operation is economically sound. This is important for safety because we need to be able to financially ensure that our operations run safely and smoothly. This third-party check confirms that our management is following best practices in regard to finances.
- Ontario Camps Association // Mini-Yo-We has been a member in good standing with the OCA since the 1960s. The OCA is a best practices policy organization aimed at ensuring safe camp experiences within the industry. Not only are we up to date with our regulations, but members of our team have served on OCA committees and have been responsible for site visits to other camps in Ontario.
Safety isn’t something we just achieve and then cross off the list. Ensuring a safe environment for all our campers and staff is a daily commitment. At Camp Mini-Yo-We, we are committed to practicing safety every day throughout the entire year.