Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Aug 25/00) - Camp counsellors have to go with the flow.

So says Mary Cummings, who has spent the summer as a day camp counsellor for the Town of Inuvik.

"You sort of have to do your programming by how the kids are feeling that day," Cummings said.

"You can have these regimented plans but you can't really stick to them all the time.

"It's definitely challenging," the counsellor said.

"You have kids that are all different ages and they're at all different speeds, and they want to do all different things. But it's a lot of fun."

Each camp goes for a week, and Cummings explained each week has had a different theme.

"We just program a week full of activities that are for that particular theme," she said.

"In a typical day, we start off with a group activity that involves everyone. In the morning you might have a group craft, so whatever the theme is, it's the craft that goes along with that," Cummings said.

"Then you might go outside and play a game of soccer, or you might be going to the pool to go swimming. It could be sitting around in a circle, just playing quiet games with the group for half an hour," she said. "We did tons of stuff," she said.

"Friday afternoon is always a big group activity," she said.

"That's kind of nice. It's kind of like a little party."

Cummings, who is from Calgary, will soon enter her third year of the Leisure Tourism Program at the University of Calgary. She said she's enjoyed her first summer in Inuvik.

"It's been an amazing experience. I learned a lot about culture and, I don't know, great kids. I met some really, really neat people and had a good time," she said.

"I've learned a lot about everything. I've learned a lot about myself and about people and about just the North in general. I've never been this far North."