As we look back on Summer 2024, it’s clear that Camp Mini-Yo-We left a lasting impression on both campers and their families. From lifelong friendships to spiritual growth, parents shared heartwarming feedback about their children’s camp experiences. We pulled together the stories, quotes and numbers from this year’s survey to give you a snapshot of what families are saying!
Friendship & Community
Many parents appreciated the opportunity for their children to form meaningful relationships during the week. This feedback centers around the friendships formed with their peers and the care they received from their cabin leaders. Here is a snapshot of what parents had to say:
“My very introverted daughter LOVED camp and wants to go back next summer. She made some great friends.” (Vanessa W.)
“My son had a great time and has already made plans to meet up with kids from his cabin who live in the same city.” (Chris V.)
“Before leaving, I left my daughter alone for a few minutes in her cabin with her cabin leader and when I returned she whispered to me ‘my cabin leader is super friendly and cool. I’m going to have a great week.’ I can’t tell you how relieved I was to hear her say that!” (Kim T.)
Anticipation & Excitement
We also heard a lot from parents about the value Camp provides throughout the year in staying connected with campers and building anticipation for the following summer. One parent mentioned, “The week at Camp is the absolute highlight of our kids’ summer. They talk about it all year with the hype and countdown… and this summer didn’t disappoint.” (Nevine M.)
Nevine is referring to our Countdown to Camp calendar—a special poster we mail to campers so they can cross off the days until they’re back in Muskoka. In addition to the calendar, we use postcards, online events and on-property events like our Family Day weekend to create touchpoints with campers throughout the year. This year we’re kicking it up a notch with our Fun Pack mailings—three unique packages campers receive if they signed up before Labor Day!
We love capturing the excitement kids have for returning to Camp and extend that anticipation throughout the year. Here are just a few of the comments parents made about how much excitement is in the air during pick-up day.
“We were worried about sending our first timer off to camp, but he came back with stories about all his new friends and can’t wait to return.” (Jess B.)
“My daughter went to session 2 of Enterprise, and now she’s already talking about returning next year with her new friends.” (Carla E.)
“My daughter at pickup immediately was talking about the friends she made and said she can’t wait to come back next year!” (Diane R.)
Spiritual Growth & Faith Development
At Camp Mini-Yo-We, our Christian faith plays a central role and parents noticed how this impacted their children. John’s son was in one of our leadership development programs and he said, “My son is reading his Bible daily, journaling nightly, and calling his accountability partner weekly! Wow, what a transformation.” (John M.)
Kristie shared the joy of seeing their daughter learn about Jesus: “It was lovely to have Luna come home teaching us new songs and scripture. Amazing!”
Many parents commented on how effectively faith was woven into the entire experience, not simply times of worship or teaching from a stage.
“We appreciated the Christian values that were woven into the camp experience. It’s rare to find a camp that blends fun with such a strong foundation in faith.” (Brian G.)
“It was refreshing to find a camp where faith is central, and my child’s spiritual growth was nurtured alongside all the fun activities.” (Nina M.)
“I love how the camp integrates faith into all the activities. My child came home talking about Bible stories and how they apply to everyday life.” (Cynthia L.)
Safety As a Priority
Safety and professionalism are always top priorities for parents when choosing a camp. We work hard to exceed those expectations! With nearly 80 years of experience behind us, we continue to take steps each year to find areas to reduce risk while creating a property and program where kids can explore and thrive outdoors. This is always encouraging feedback to hear from parents entrusting us with their little ones.
“I was impressed with the camp’s attention to safety. It really puts my mind at ease.” (Victoria L.)
“Our son has some allergies, and we were so happy with how careful the camp was to ensure his safety. He had a great time without any issues.” (Erin P.)
“The camp handled safety very well. We were always informed about how they were taking precautions, which made us feel comfortable.” (Lisa R.)
“We appreciated the attention to safety, especially in a group setting like camp. Our kids had a fantastic time, and we felt they were well taken care of.” (Michael H.)
“The safety precautions were top-notch, and we were impressed with how the camp staff ensured a safe environment for all the campers.” (Karen S.)
Parent surveys from the past five years indicate a 94% rating from parents when it comes to feeling that their kids were safe at Camp. From clear communication about policies and procedures to a top-notch team of medical volunteers to directors, our aim is to make safety the number one priority for our camp families.
Looking Ahead to Summer 2025
Every survey helps identify areas for growth and this year was no exception! This is the real reason we ask parents to provide feedback and we love hearing your suggestions on where we can improve. Here were two of the themes we heard:
- Closing Day Experience – We heard from a handful of parents that we could kick it up a notch on closing day. From better signage about where to go to shorter lines at the tuck shop to keeping luggage dry on a rainy day. Our team is looking into ways we can improve this experience for families in 2025.
- Modifying Registration – While getting kids signed up is easy, sometimes going back in to change your child’s registration is challenging. Our customer service team will be updating our website and clarifying how parents can make changes after registration, such as updating a medical form, adding more tuck money mid-week or signing up for the bus after registering.
Register Today!
We are incredibly thankful for the over 200 families that completed this year’s survey.
We can’t wait for next summer and we hope you will join us! If you aren’t registered yet, secure your spot at www.campmyw.com/register.
We make it super easy to sign up:
- $1 Deposit // Secure your spot for next year with just a single dollar.
- Monthly Payment Plans // By default our families have access to a zero-interest monthly payment plan. Simply select this this option and extend your payments to August 1st!
- 100% Refund Option // You can change your week anytime for no fee. You can even request a full refund at any point for any reason before June 1, 2025.