Here's what makes Camp Tapawingo, YWCA stand out

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Landscape

More details about property: Located on Georgian Bay just south of Parry Sound, our 175 acres are ideal for camp program. The sand beach is unique on Georgian Bay and a small river winds through the property ideal for adventures by canoe or kayak. We have our own mountain biking trails and are adjacent to the Seguin Recreational Trail

Accommodations

Sleeping Accommodations

Amenities

Washrooms Facilities

Are meals provided? Yes.

Is Camp Tapawingo, YWCA technology free? Yes. Our campers enjoy the freedom of setting aside cell phones while at camp. We ask campers not to bring cell phones or other forms of technology. We have chosen to post pictures of campers after the session so they may be first to share with you their camp experience. Parents do receive a cabin photo of their daughter in the first couple of days of the session.

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Associations

Stories

• CAMP FRIENDS

  Camp Friends: where do I begin? The memoris I've made and the summers I've spent here have been made possible by all the incredible people I've met at camp. The people you bond and live with become more than your firends, they become your family. They've helped me become the person I am today and have changed my life even with the small things they do. Camp is a place where you cam be who you are and feell accepted, mostly because everyone here is genuine and you know you can trust them. Some of the people I've met are people  I hope to be close to for years down the line, because they've become my best friends, and I'm closer to them then the people I see every day.  These are girls who see you are your best, and still love you through your worst, ans support and believe in you through everything you do. They believe in you and give you the confidence to believe you can succeed in everything you do. They are true friends. Each summer is something I look forward to because I get to spend 3 weeks with people who know me better than my friends at home. I've learned more about the people here in the sort time I spend here than I ever could about other friends from home, because you really show your true colours. It takes a special kind of person to enjoy and make memories that last a lifetime at camp and I am proud to call them all my friends.

• SOMETHING SPECIAL

  Something special happened while riding the subway this morning. There was a group of women next to me talking about the summer. One of them started talking about how this past summer was the first time her daughter went to an overnight camp and mentioned it was located near Parry Sound. This is when my ears perked up. The woman said that it was a great camp, she had heard about it from a colleague at work, and that it was an all girls camp. That is when I knew she was talking about "Tap". She went on to say how her daughter had has a really tough year and needed something to boost her self-esteem. The daughter came back different, changed in a good way. She was much more confident and had really grown and even tried things at camp that she would never have tried before like the low ropes course. What she liked about camp is that she could tell that the director and the camp staff really cared. She had been to the camp on open house day. By the sounds of the conversation it seemed her daughter was only 7 or 8. The mother was very excited to have found the camp. The daughter made some good friends during camp that she cant wait to see next year.  The woman listening asked if maybe her daughter would change her mind and want to try a new camp next year.  The mom's answer was " Are you kidding, there is no way she'll change her mind after making such good friends!"
  They moved on to another topic after that but I really wanted to share that story with you. Funny how a perfect stranger can remind one of fond memories.  When the lady mentioned being at camp during the open house I could picture Tap as she described it. Thanks for the memories.

• PROGRAMS
  "...fire and magic on the water..." Unique memories involving the whole camp are created by campfires. Our welcoming campfire and our candle lighting ceremony at the end of camp involve torches, fire and magic on the water. Special Programs such as Regatta, held at the end of camp allow for camp teams to compete against each other in swimming, canoeing, running and a variety of fun games such as "sink the counsellor". Programs involving all of the campers are offered several times in a session. Generally, these involve themes and our own very popular Mission Impossible. Girls participate in evening programs that are section based. These are age-group focussed activities. Two or three times a session we offer a change of pace and the afternoon program becomes "Cottage". This is a laid back, waterfront area program with a variety of options offered where campers can swim all afternoon, hang out under the trees with friends or be involved in "lazy afternoon at the cottage" activities - playing guitars, cards, kayaking, water-slide, badminton, hair braiding etc. A nice change of pace on a hot summer's day!
• CABIN LIFE

  "...our counsellors work hard to build a community..." The centre of YWCA Camp Tapawingo is the cabin group. Our campers live in a cabins of 8 with 2 counsellors. Campers plan fun cabin activities in collaboration with their counsellors. They will also be part of the life of a cabin - whether it's cabin clean-up, meals together in the dining room, cabin songs, or a campfire at bedtime. Our counsellors work hard to build a community, establish trust between individuals, teach them how to allow each other to be unique and work within the needs of the group. Our 15 year old campers have the opportunity to work as a group to come up with a list of things they would like to do. Then they schedule it and take responsibility for making it happen.

• TRIPPING
  "...kids take responsibility..." I was a camper at Camp Tapawingo for a year when I was 15 years old. I remember being scared and shy and not knowing the difference between a canoe paddle and an oar. But at camp I was made to feel welcome and the other girls were so nice and friendly that I loved it right away. The only time I was upset was when I had to get on the bus to go home. I have now been on staff at Camp Tapawingo for two years as a Tripper. Watching girls help each other on a portage always brings a smile to my face. My favourite part is when they start to take control and responsibility, like making the fire, preparing breakfast, leading to the next portage, or deciding for themselves we need a lunch stop. I think that trip gives kids more opportunities to do things for themselves without an adult saying "Now it's your turn to make the fire". Trip allows girls to challenge themselves as much or as little as they wish and teaches them that a challenge for one person is different than a challenge for someone else.
• TRIPPING
  "...laughter around the campfire..." The opportunity to enjoy the unique beauty of Georgian Bay, the challenge of working as a group, and the laughter around a campfire are all offered to girls 10 years or older who want to try canoe tripping. Our girls can choose to go on day trips ranging from 1-5 days. Some of these trips are cabin based and some are sign-up trips depending on the girls' choices. We are fortunate that all of our canoe trips can leave and return directly from our camp beach, without the need to be transported elsewhere. We are on the edge of Massassauga Provincial Park and virtually all our trips are at sites within the park. Some girls will choose to do a day trip and will have a lunch and supper cook-out before returning to camp.
• SUMMER FUN

  "...the food is really good..." The weather has been very hot, we have had a lot of dips and people have slept outside in tents. This year we got to go mountain biking, climbing and low ropes. We really enjoy camp, we really enjoy swimming, canoeing, sailing, and kayaking. We love Georgian Bay. We also love all the canoe trips we have at camp, there are day trips, overnights and trips up to 5 days long. One of our favourite days at camp is Sunday where we have a sleep in, picnic lunch, and a turkey dinner with ice cream for dessert. The food has been "really" good this year. Our favourite meals have been fajitas, spaghetti, beefaroni, chicken burgers, shepherd's pie, and for dessert strawberry shortcake, and chocolate pudding. We've had a great year at camp and hope that there will still be a Camp Tapawingo in another 87 years.

• MEMORIES
  "...Yip de ninigo - that's the song we sing..." Every September I miss and think about being at camp and in May I can't wait for camp to start. In the wintertime, we get together with our camp friends and reminisce about camp. When we think about YWCA's Camp Tapawingo the words that come to mind are: fun, friends, swimming, canoeing, chocolate pudding, trips and chicken burgers. When we get on the bus to leave camp what we think about are the friends we are leaving, the next year and summer to come. We still follow the traditions of the camp's many years - "We are the Tap girls, Tap girls are we...." Yip de ninigo - that's the song we sing when we are returning to camp or leaving camp on a canoe trip and it is something that all our alumnae remember when they come back to visit.
• A SECOND HOME
  "...for "Tap" girls, it's like a second home..." For some people, camp is just a place that you are sent in the summer but for "Tap" girls, it's like a second home. YWCA's Camp Tapawingo isn't just a place, it's an experience that teaches you about yourself and those around you. Camp is about singing "Ging Gang Gooli" in the dining hall, sitting around the campfire before bed, and of course, cabin time. All these memories are attached to feelings which rush back to you when you think of Camp Tapawingo. You realize the connection you have with all these people and they aren't just random girls that reside in your second home, they are your sisters, mothers and guardians. So, I want to thank all of you for making Camp Tapawingo my favourite place in the world. Cheers to 82 years of fun, laughter and friendship at Camp Tapawingo.
• THE IMPACT CAMP TAPAWINGO HAS ON GIRLS
  "...start building their independence..." Camp can be a life-changing experience for Tapawingo girls. Camp teaches girls about friendship, its power and its importance. Just being surrounded by girls from other places, (not just their neighbourhood) makes girls more aware and more open to new experiences. Camp teaches patience and perseverance - learning a new skill. Camp teaches thoughtfulness and kindness - doing something nice for a secret friend. Camp teaches tolerance - it is what you can do, not what you can't. Camp can make girls appreciate what they normally take for granted. It gives them a break from life back home. Camp provides girls with the opportunity to develop their skills, enhance old skills, learn something completely new or try something really different, not what they would normally do. Because the environment is so positive, girls develop their self-esteem, and can be somebody they might not be able to be back home. When they try new things, they learn about themselves in the process. Camp teaches respect for nature, the joy of simple things not affected by TV or computers. It allows them to take a chance on a new skill, or a new friend. One of the greatest effects Camp Tapawingo has on girls is that they learn to cope with being away from home and start building their independence. They see that there is a big world out there and they have the potential to explore and contribute to it.

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