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DEH CHO
Next week Grade 9 students from across the Deh Cho will be travelling to just outside of Edmonton for a week of outdoor recreation, environmental education and leadership.

Deh Cho Grade 9 students will take part in archery at Camp YoWoChAs, pictured above, next week. "Basically anything is an opportunity for the kids to step up and be leaders," said Gini Beaumont, program co-ordinator. - photo courtesy of Gini Beaumont

"The idea behind it is to bring these kids together and build friendships," said Jim Snider, vice-principal at Deh Gah Elementary School in Fort Providence.

"This will help the students from the smaller communities as they make their transition into Fort Simpson in Grade 9."

Students from Fort Liard, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson and Jean Marie River are all set to attend, Snider said.

They will arrive at the camp the evening of Oct. 31 and depart on Nov. 4.

Gini Beaumont, program co-ordinator at the camp, said their week will be filled with activities such as archery, orienteering, bouldering, rock climbing, nighttime campfires and camp-wide games such as capture the flag.

In addition, students will get to test out the high- and low-ropes courses, the zip-line and the multi-vine course, which Beaumont called "Tarzan-like."

"Basically anything is an opportunity for the kids to step up and be leaders," she said of the program.

There will be a focus on outdoor recreation, environmental education and leadership.

Many activities will be team-based, but Beaumont said the rope courses and zip-line will allow students to face personal challenges as well.

During their stay, students will sleep in a dorm-like resident outfitted with bunk beds and they will eat at the camp's other building, which houses a dining hall and kitchen.

Camp YoWoChAs is a division of the YWCA of Edmonton and is located near the Hamlet of Fallis, which is approximately a 50-minute drive of Edmonton on Lake Wabamun.

The camp is situated on 60 acres of land.

The Grade 9 trip is funded through the NWT Student Success Initiative, a program that aims to improve student learning and performance.

In 2009, the program also helped fund outdoor education camps in Fort Providence. In 2010, it helped fund canoe courses for students from Nahanni Butte and Fort Providence.

Later this year, Grade 6, 7 and 8 students from the Deh Cho will attend Camp YoWoChAs as well. Winter activities at the camp include cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

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