Over the past couple of weeks, I have been working as a Guest Artist in the Drama Department of a school in Mississauga, thanks to a program run by the Ontario Arts Council. It's a truly wonderful school, and my grade 11 and 12 students are animated, curious and fantastic to work with. In the [...]
At Centauri Summer Arts Camp, the campers in the Leaders in Training program (L.I.T) will, at some point, do an inspirational challenge. It’s an opportunity to speak in front of the whole camp. The task is not a small one: inspire us. Yikes. And yet, every summer, sometime 2 or 3 times a day, campers come [...]
Why I came, and why I keep coming back; A Centauri Arts Camp History After the summer of 2000, my very first summer as I camper at Centauri Summer Arts Camp, I returned to school year ready for anything. When asked what I did that summer, I stood on my chair and yelled: “I went [...]
Last week, a new camp parent called to ask us a few additional questions about Centauri. One of her questions was: do all your campers want to be arts professionals when they leave school? I told her no, this was absolutely not the case. Many of our campers do go on to successful arts careers, [...]
A good summer camp is more than a place for fun in the sun. Much, much more. It’s a community. A place to grow as a person, among others who share your interests and invest time in helping you become the best you can be. It’s a place to make friends you may stay connected [...]
If your son or daughter is an extrovert – loves socializing, thrives in large groups and enjoys loud, busy, action-filled days - then residential arts camp is an obvious choice. But over the years, we’ve learned at Centauri that the quieter, calmer, somewhat introverted campers have just as much to gain from overnight camp. And knowing how many of those kids are the creative, artistic type, we’ve evolved a daily schedule that meets their needs, too.
Why does a participation in the arts equal an increase in empathy? Because each time we imagine and create – or appreciate the creations of others – we are invited to step inside the shoes of another person totally different from ourselves, and walk around in them.