Community Living And Five Counties Children's Centre Provide Youth With Complex Medical Needs A Space To Be Kids And Have Fun

Community Living Trent Highlands ( Community and Family Services) in partnership with Five Counties Children’s Centre, hosted an accessible camp for youth in the area living with complex medical needs.

This camp was meant to provide an opportunity for youth living with complex medical needs to experience the fun of summer camp, while still having access to important medical resources they need.

“The facilities here are absolutely perfect,” said Shawna Belcourt, Outcomes Facilitator at Community Living. “The lift, the air conditioning, these are just things that are super important but wouldn’t be available anywhere else.”

Belcourt noted that the facilities at Five Counties helped participants with mobility devices and their supporters get around the building, the air conditioning was important to provide relief to campers with low blood sugar and, while much of their time was spent outside, being able to come inside to cool off or take a break was a bonus.

The two day camp welcomed four young people, who have aged out of most summer camps that accept participants up to 12 years old, and their supporters.

They had a packed schedule with visits from a music therapist from Soundspeaks Music Therapy, a performance by Peterborough Circus, participated in Art Therapy, Adapted Sports (bowling, hockey, and curling) and made lots of furry friends from Critter Visits.

Liam, a camper, and his supporter he refers to as ‘Nanny Beth’ had fun bowling in the gym.

Beth says Liam is always busy spending time with her or with his family, but the opportunity provided by Community Living and Five Counties was special.

“He’s not different here,” she said. “He fits right in. There’s no stares, no questions, he’s just like all of the other kids and he has just had so much fun.”

Belcourt says that this camp has been in the works for a long time, and now, as COVID restrictions are easing she hopes it becomes yearly.

She says that because of the complex medical needs these young people and their families deal with and nursing shortages, some of them were unable to attend school for many months because they couldn’t risk contracting COVID.

The closure and postponement of other accessible events and activities in the city has also disrupted routines and offered little support or interaction for these youth.

“This has been a labour of love,” said Belcourt. “We couldn’t have done it without Five Counties and without all of the behind the scenes support from our manager Penny Wood, the Recreation Therapists Colleen (Ristok) and Caitlin (Ivany) here at Five Counties, volunteers here and so many others. It was a huge success.”

This years camp was a pilot project, but with the success of it and feedback from participants, Community Living and Five Counties hope to be able to offer this program for years to come.

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