Camp fYrefly extended its intake province-wide this year offering youth from the LGBTQ2S+ community everything from swimming and archery, to sexual education and mental health support.
Teens, young adults and leaders from all over the province met at the Camp Chief Hector YMCA grounds in Kananaskis for fYrefly, a camp designed for LGBTQ2S+ youth between the ages of 14 and 24.
“For a lot of kids who came from more rural areas, this was really the first time they were with their peers. That can be a really moving experience, to find people who might be going through a similar journey of figuring out your identity,” said Kiran Stewart-McKee, a volunteer counsellor at the camp.
“Especially, if you’re living somewhere that’s not like Edmonton or Calgary, that doesn’t have the non-profits that are LGBT oriented.”
On day one, when the campers are split into seven cabins (one for every colour of the rainbow), icebreakers and introductions are made along with defining of personal pronouns.
“On the one hand, it’s what a lot of people would think of a camp, but on the other hand it’s got that (LGBTQ2S+) aspect to it,” Stewart-McKee said.
There’s a big mess hall type space with an eating area as well, a break-away area nearby where people can do crafts.
“We had an ongoing activity called happy boxes which are tiny takeout containers. The idea is that people can write notes of affirmation to each other, throughout camp, and then when you leave you open your box and you have these super supportive notes that you can read throughout the rest of the year,” Stewart-Mckee said. “The campers are accessing different workshops throughout the day, so kids access sex-ed but it’s sex-ed taught through a health education and queer perspective. So they get to ask all the questions they have that they may or not feel comfortable asking elsewhere.”
“There are workshops about things like how to take care of yourself if you’re feeling things like anxiety, how to alter clothing. There were workshops this year about vegetarianism – how to become vegetarian while making sure you’re getting all your vitamins.”
Another new aspect to the expanded camp was a counselling area where campers had access to volunteering mental health professionals or just a “chill space.”
“We had things like weighted blankets, weighted stuffed animals, a weighted pillow, gentle activities like colouring – and that was accessible throughout the day,” Stewart-McKee said. Weighted objects are used in a counselling technique that helps people find calm.
During the physical activities at camp, like swimming, there were designated blocks for campers who identified as transgender.
“For a lot of those folks, it had been literally years since they had been able to go swimming because of fear of being judged in a swimming pool or dysphoria of their body. It was so exciting to be able to offer that,” said Stewart-McKee.
“(Camp) is such an exciting opportunity for kids. People ask me, why isn’t it offered more. It’s such a wonderful time,” Stewart-McKee said. “I wish more kids were able to access it but I’m so excited that it’s there. I love being able to volunteer at it.”
Camp fYrefly is held annually each summer; this year it ran from June 30 to July 3.
