Radiant Girls Overnight Retreats
Radiant Girls overnight retreats are unique leadership programs taught through the mediums of health, wellness & art. Our programs feature Yoga and Pilates, Outdoor Excursions, Hands-On Cooking, Rope Courses, Personal Growth Activities, Coaching for Confidence & Emotional Intelligence, Meaningful Expressive Art, Fun & Lots of Giggling.
Our girl's programs are designed for the girl who wants to be confident, expressive, influential, and kind. Although each group we lead is personally designed, we follow 2 simple principles for empowerment: Everyone has an inner wisdom that needs to be heard & trusted, and taking care of your body and emotions is the foundation for well-being. Our events focus on these core values: leadership, courage, kindness, gratitude, positive thinking, and self-care, all the things that make a girl radiant.
What Makes Radiant Girls Special…
A day in the life of a Radiant Girl's camper looks like this... Activities include at least 2 hours of movement, exposing girls to a variety of fitness activities, like pilates, yoga, zumba, nature hikes, and outdoor fun.
Girls will learn about nutrition through hands-on, interactive cooking classes, making healthy food fun. We’ll make smoothies in the morning, a fabulous lunch, and an afternoon dessert each day. Our cooking incorporates teamwork, creativity, and nutrition. We will make everything from scratch, using local organic ingredients when possible. All of our meals are kid-friendly, and we can accommodate food allergies and preferences.
The art projects always involve meaningful and thought-provoking self-reflection activities like dream boards, painting, journals and meaningful jewelry. These art projects are designed to solidify new concepts and changes in perspective from the day’s lessons/learning.
Our activities range from a farm adventure, animal interactions, and ropes course to board breaking, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, leadership games and team-building events. Each one of these activities is built on teaching choice, communication, resourcefulness, confidence, and life lessons.
Our week will be based on the following themes: strength, courage, leadership, independence, kindness, gratitude, inspiration, positive thinking, self-care, and all the things that make a girl radiant.
Our programs facilitate transformations in thinking, understanding, and unconscious behaviour. Each activity has a purpose that leads to the next. Some with more instruction for a specific outcome, others with less direction to support creative, independent thinking. These experiences involve movement, games, group chats, guest visits, team building, and leadership activities. Each one of these helps us to evoke an environment for rapport, trust, observation, questioning, creative thinking, discussion, and self-reflection.
Our overnight retreats create an even deeper experience for our attendees. Once the evening unfolds, relationships are created, discussions deepen, BFF's are made, and group coaching or as we call it “girl talk” unfolds naturally. These fireside discussions led by our youth coach are some of the most powerful moments at camp.
Activities
Each week our offerings change based on the needs of the group, guest speakers, and creative ideas from our students and staff. Here is just a list of some of the amazing things we’ve incorporated at previous camps:
Splatter paint party
Partner yoga
Manicures and pedicures
Orienteering
Hiking and nature exploration
Making smoothies, lunches, tea parties, and desserts
Journal creation and writing
Pilates, yoga, zumba classes
Board breaking
Canoeing
Releasing Chinese lanterns
Scavenger Hunt
Team Obstacle Courses
Making a movie
Chocolate facials
Dream boards
Bracelet making
Photo shoot
Inspirational special guests
Skin care rituals with an aesthetician
Wildlife demonstrations
Organic Farm tours
Zip Line
Ropes Course
Horse Therapy
With all of this packed into a week, you can be confident that our camp will change the way your daughter sees the world and delivers many of the tools and skills required to help her grow into a self-assured, healthy and loving young lady.
Who Attends Radiant Girls Programs
These programs were designed because we met far too many girls who seemed to be happy-go-lucky girls on the surface, but once we got to know them, we discovered there was something more impacting their ability to thrive. Some of the girls who attend our programs suffer from anxiety, depression, or poor self-confidence. Some really struggle with making friends, trusting others or communicating easily. Others have anger or resentment bottled up. The transition from child to young adult is a tough one. Girls are stumbling through this stage, learning how to relate to themselves and the world around them with little skills and frequently little self-awareness. All of these hot topics are incorporated into our teachings, providing strategies and awareness to overcome their limiting thoughts.
We consistently get calls and emails before camp with concerns about their child being shy, anxious, withdrawn, or picky about eating. We have developed great strategies over the past 8 years to address these concerns on day 1 so that everyone is comfortable and happy right from the start!
Our Team
Our team of leaders consists of a professional coach, a child therapist, a family chef, fitness instructors, artists, teachers, and a mindfulness expert. We also bring in leaders who have been trained to support our group with special training in wellness, leadership, or camp skills. Visit our team webpage to learn more about who we are and our credentials.
We have a minimum ratio of 1:6 in our programs at low times; however, during activities, our average ratio is 1:4. In addition, we provide each girl with one-on-one coaching opportunities during the week.
Location
Our overnight retreats are held at Sugar Ridge Retreat Centre 5720 Forgets Road, Wyebridge, ON (near Midland). The property is situated on 150 acres of meadows and forest and includes a magnificent straw bail construction main lodge. The main building has a fully equipped kitchen, a large dining room, two large studios, a living room, and a large clean, spacious bathroom with showers and toiletries. There are several lounge areas inside and out, as well as wood-burning fireplaces and pits.
Accommodations:
We will stay in a series of cabins surrounded by forests and meadows. Each cabin has both single and double beds with a comfy mattress, fluffy duvet, linens, and lots of natural light. Most of our activities will take place either outdoors or in one of the studios in the main lodge. We plan to have daily excursions to a local farm for an equine experience, Wye marsh for a wildlife demonstration and a canoe expedition, and a local beach to release Chinese lanterns and have some fun!
Our meals will take place in the main dining hall or outdoor patio. The on-site chef will be preparing healthy and delicious vegetarian meals. Lunches will often be off-site during our excursions, and desserts will follow dinner around the campfire.
The overnight camp includes accommodations, linens, hot breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, all excursions, all fitness classes, art supplies, and spa activities.
Spaces fill up fast! We recommend you reserve your space before March 15th. Our camps size is very small. Our groups are just 20 girls each week.
Registration
For more information or to reserve a space in one of our Radiant Girls Wellness Camps visit www.radiantgirls.ca We can be reached at [email protected] or 905 335-9591.
Campership Fund & Sponsors
Every year we offer campers a credit of $375 towards a day camp program or overnight retreat. Campers requesting this scholarship must send in a request and include a recent experience where they gave back to someone in need in their community. Photos, a short video or supporting documents explaining the event and the impact it has had will contribute to who receives this scholarship. The camper and/or a family member should also include some information about why this program is of interest to them.
We regularly have people in our community who want to support us in creating these amazing experiences for girls. These people believe in what we do and want to be a part of uplifting our community of girls. These special people sponsor a few girls each summer to attend one of our events. If you know a girl who would greatly benefit from our program but may not have the financial means to attend, please reach out to us. We may be able to send her to camp!
More about Radiant Girl's Philosophy & Teachings:
Self Image
Even though young girls today seem to have more opportunities, many girls are less confident, happy and satisfied with their lives. And it's no wonder – girls are constantly given the message by the media that they don't measure up. The resulting pressure and negative reinforcement they face during this critical period in their lives can derail their self-esteem and judgment and shake the foundation of their future. During our movement component, we spend a great deal of time discussing self-talk, loving what you've got, and achieving personal bests.
Empowerment
In our weekly camps, we work to uncover each girl’s true passions and discover the values they have created and the beliefs that are currently limiting them. Through group coaching, journaling, and self-reflection exercises, girls develop a better understanding of who they really are and how to stay true to themselves. These strategies are based on Coach U's (the top coaching school) philosophy on developing confidence, empowering beliefs, and smart goal setting. The intent is to help each Radiant Girl transition into their teen years with strong communication and leadership skills.
Healthy Relationships
Through a variety of activities designed to help the girls learn more about themselves and their emotions, the girls will also learn to build healthy relationships. We'll discuss the importance and value of creating healthy relationships, and we'll experiment with skills and actions that teach young minds how to nurture relationships so they can grow and flourish. We will weave these discussions into our activities and provide a forum to discuss issues (one-on-one or in a group) that are important to the girls.
Self Discovery
As we integrate the message of a healthy mind, body and soul through the week, we’ll have the girls explore their thoughts and feelings through scrapbooking, journal writing, creative art activities, photography, and crafts. This creative expression component allows them to reflect and listen to their inner voice. Coaching tools and techniques will be used to open them up to new ideas and discoveries that are unfolding daily.
Nutrition
Through research-based education, we will explore growing food, preparing nutritious meals, and trying new foods. Each day will consist of a visit to the garden to pick foods that we will include in our lunch. Girls will help to prepare the meal while the nutritionist leads them through cooking tips and techniques. The group will sit down and enjoys their meal together and discusses the nutritional value and importance of eating well. Juicing, sprouting, smoothies, and healthy snacks are often part of this program. Our goal with nutrition is to expose girls to new and healthy options and have them discover a love for nutritious foods. Our lunches resemble a buffet-style approach, so they can pick and choose from a variety of options. We take great pride at the end of the week in winning over even the pickiest of eaters. Based on the requests of previous camp attendees, we now send our recipes home with each girl.
Fitness
There is a strong physical component to our camps. Each day the group will be involved in at least 2 hours of structured activity. We’ll try to spend as much of it outdoors as possible. Hiking the bruce trail, a visit to a local organic farm, spending some time in our vegetable garden, or participating in an outdoor fitness class are just some of the activities we have planned! Indoors girls will get a chance to try pilates, use bosu's, bands, balls, and rollers and learn about their core, posture and balance. We’ll have a yoga class component to improve flexibility, improve mental focus, and relieve stress. We’ll shatter some preconceived ideas about what they like, how it feels to be a leader and what they really feel about their amazing bodies. Our activities are always centred around feeling safe and comfortable with the exercises and testing the boundaries to discover new personal bests. This component is guaranteed to inspire girls to get involved in a regular exercise program following the camp.
Stress Management
In a world full of multimedia, technology, working parents, school pressures, social pressures, and busy schedules, it’s no wonder our young girls are in need of tools and techniques to unplug from the world. These camps will help to teach them about relaxation, breathing, meditation, self-care, and relationship strategies to better deal with the difficulties that come with being a girl. These skills will be extremely valuable in the years ahead. We will introduce them to being mindful of their thought patterns, how to quiet the mind, and introduce them to the many forms of meditation. Our favourite is the gratitude meditation, which teaches them to contemplate everything they have to be thankful for.
Creative Arts
Each day the girls will have some time to play with a project that allows them to express themselves. The activity will be guided by questions to encourage self-reflection, expression, and focus. Each day will be filled with a new art project. Here are just some of the activities they will be involved in: creating dream boards, making meaningful jewelry, designing a personal journal, creating treasure boxes, designing a family gratitude game, personalizing an apron, and so much more.
Food Philosophy
Our nutrition philosophy is grounded in the latest health research. Our food program will revolve around whole foods with a focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat. We will limit our intake of dairy, grains and sugars and encourage minimal use of processed and refined foods. We are mindful that young palates need familiar foods. And we are aware that food likes and dislikes are sometimes stressful situations. We accommodate picky eaters with lots of choices at each meal, and have great strategies and games for trying new foods. We are proud to say that we have never had someone go hungry because they did not find something yummy to fill their belly. In fact, the recipes we use at camp are requested by just about every child at the end of the week. We love great food, and we want girls to love it too!
Additional Support Before & After Camp
For most girls attending our camp, this will be the first time staying overnight with a group of people they don't know. Often times the hardest part of this kind of camp is overcoming the fear of the first day. For this reason, we will be providing a live group call “meet & greet” to go over the essentials to pack and prepare for a fabulous week.
It's been our experience that encouraging healthy eating and positive lifestyle choices is better received when it comes from an outside source. Once a safe, comfortable environment has been established, young girls tend to open up and be more responsive to us. During camp, we encourage self-awareness and examining new perspectives. Sometimes changing thinking and behaviours takes time, and support is needed to integrate new ideas fully. If you feel your girl would benefit from private coaching, this can be arranged following our camp experience. These sessions can be done in person or over live camera calls.
