York Regional Police's Community Safety Village is opening its doors to junior detective, superheroes and more for a number of summer camp programs.
The one-week camps are offered throughout the summer from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Community Safety Village in Whitchurch-Stouffville.
The programs feature interactive workshops, games, and sports activities and are led by police officers, trained safety educators, and camp leaders, as well as representatives from fire and ambulance services.
There are seven different programs this year for kids from Grade 3 all the way up to high school.
The first is the Tri-Services Camp, which teaches younger kids about the services that police, fire and paramedics provide. Campers will learn about bike safety, internet safety, healthy lifestyle habits, emergency preparedness, and go on a junior detective investigation. This program will run on the week of July 4 for those in Grade 3 and 4, and again in the week of July 25 for grades 6, 7 and 8 students.
Another program is the United/Unity Superhero Camp for children in grades 5 and 6. Campers will learn about YRP superheroes and how they can be a superhero in the community. This program runs the week of July 11.
There is also the Like Me First camp, which is designed to build self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-awareness. Campers will learn about resiliency, positive choices, meditation, coping strategies, and the pros and cons of social media. This program is for students in grades 6 and 7 and runs the week of July 18.
One of the programs for older kids is the high school prep camp, for students currently in Grade 8, to help prepare them for the transition to high school. Topics will include tobacco and vape use, alcohol and drug use, mental health, and being safe on social media. There are also resume writing workshops, mock job interviews, guest speakers, and team building activities. This program runs the week of Aug. 22.
There are two different camps for high school-aged students. The first is the teen police academy, which covers education and career goals while focusing on building leadership skills. Students will also be mentored by YRP officers and members. It runs the week of Aug. 8.
The final camp is Leo McArthur Leadership Academy, which like the other high school camp, focuses on leadership and education goals and leadership skill building. It runs the week of Aug. 15.
Transportation to the village and meals are not provided during any of the camps, so participants are required to bring their own nut-free lunch. Anyone who is interested in registering can contact [email protected].
