Camp Squeah remains committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, staff, and campers.
May 10, 2022
As many of you know now, many of the COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia have been rescinded which is great news for coming for retreats at Camp Squeah! Our doors are open and we are welcoming people to be a part of our community in God’s beautiful wilderness.
We are no longer under the restriction for vaccine passports for events which was lifted on April 8th. We will also encourage people to continue to be respectful of others in regards to comfort around mask wearing when appropriate and support a group with how they wish to run a retreat with lingering concerns for people’s health.
Please note that any and all kinds of retreats are permitted at Squeah and we would welcome your group here. If you have any questions feel free to give us a call or email.
Tim Larson,
Camp Squeah, Outdoor Education Director
November 12, 2021
Pardon the lengthy time between updates. For everyone’s clarity and information we have here the most recent update about how COVID-19 restrictions and overall impact are affecting Camp Squeah.
Please note that under the current PHO requirements, ‘events’ (groups of more than 10 people inside or more than 50 people outside) are permissible if all the participants can show they are doubly vaccinated. This health order does not apply to events with groups of youth 22 years or younger or educational events run by schools – so Outdoor Education retreats are permitted currently without these restrictions. These restrictions currently cover us as we are located in the eastern Fraser Valley Health region which is under some more strict measures. We are hopeful that they will lift before long.
Camp Squeah continues to follow PHO health and safety guidelines such as wearing masks indoors or in close quarters with others to help keep us all safe.
Camp Squeah is open for business and we’d love to have you join us for a retreat that works for you and your group! Please feel free to phone or email to get more info on how we can serve you.
Tim Larson,
Camp Squeah, Outdoor Education Director
June 10, 2021,
Breaking News!!!
Great News! The Public Health Order has lifted the ban on overnight camps! To say that we’re elated is an understatement. What’s more, an accompanying set of guidelines was released, simultaneously, thanks to the lobbying efforts of our governing body the BC Camps Association. We have meticulously reviewed and scrutinized this document and we feel confident this allows us to safely pivot our ‘Go Beyond’ camps from off the mountains back to Squeah base in order to utilize our cabin accommodations, which we’re certain will come as a relief to many of you.
As you can imagine, the planning of two very different programs for this summer (one based on last summer’s approved restrictions and one with the hopes that overnight camps might be permitted) has had its challenges for our team here at Squeah. It’s been a constant push and pull with program development, staffing and hedging in many areas to keep both options as viable as possible all while our ‘runway’ in the lead up to the summer has only continued to shrink.
We’ve appreciated your patience in allowing our team time and space to accomplish this intensive review. We’re excited to be offering a cabin based camp experience more familiar to many of you, and share a sense of relief with those who were anxious about spending the entire camp in the wilderness. At the same time, we also recognize for those who may have really been looking forward to this new adventure this may come as a disappointment. Unfortunately, we do not have the staffing nor budget resources to run two very different programs. We do want your feedback though. We were starting to get excited about the wilderness opportunity and are open to pursuing it further for next year if there is a genuine interest there. For this year, however, we hope you’ll understand and support our decision to gravitate toward the “as normal as possible” plan.
We are still urgently looking to fill some key staff positions. We are seeking people who love Jesus, love children, and who love to serve, who will help us nurture and care for the campers entrusted to our care this summer. Specifically, we need a number of cabin leaders, (5 male and 4 female), 3-4 kitchen staff, a lifeguard, and a nurse/First Aid attendant. Please spread the word and/or call us today to explore possibilities with us. At this point the limitations on the size of our camper population will hinge, not only on covid restrictions, but on the availability of qualified staff. Now that we have the green light to open camp we do not want to let this opportunity be wasted.
So to Review what summer camp options are available….
Remember, this year will be a ‘One of a Kind’ summer camp experience! Our focus will be on families! We are offering 3 Family Camps, with Squeah provided day camp programming available to the children onsite. In addition to that we will have select weeks set aside for Family Camping reservation – a self-sufficient family camping experience similar to staying at a provincial campground.
Update: Now that overnight residential camping for children is permitted by the PHO we have committed to pivoting the previously wilderness based ‘Go beyond’ camps for our junior (ages 10-12), middle (12-14) and teen (14-16) campers to onsite residential camps. (Note the Teen Wotten camp will still remain as a wilderness camp). Check out our website for more details.
Though this summer may look a little different than it has in years past, we are confident that we will be able to offer safe and fun programming even in the midst of this unusual season.
NOW MORE THAN EVER… WE ALL NEED CAMP!
If you have questions about the options available, please feel free to e-mail or call our Summer Director, Dustin Siemens (dustin@squeah.com, 1-604-869-5353 x 128) or e-mail Cyndi Nickerson (registrar@squeah.com). We are grateful you are a part of our camp community and are so looking forward to welcoming you back onsite this summer.
from sighs of relief to smiles,
Rob Tiessen,
Camp Squeah, Executive Director.
January 4th 2021,
Over the past few months Camp Squeah has been cautiously optimistic about considering running safe camps for children and families for the 2021 season. With the advent of vaccines and timelines for vaccinations and hope for a future on the other side of the pandemic, we are planning programming you might be interested in! Because there is still a fair level of uncertainty and we will need to continue living with restrictions to help keep ourselves and our communities safe, our suggested programming for summer 2021 will have a different look and feel. Have a look at our 2021 schedule to see what is new and available.
The most significant changes are the increase in the number of family camp options and the changes to the style of children’s programming. Please visit our programs and schedule pages for more information.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of the shared camp experience this past summer but look forward to renewing relationships as we can this coming season.
With current restrictions in place we cannot offer events for groups on site but should restrictions ease and allow for safe group bookings, please give us a call or email.
Please pray for our camp – for the children and families who will attend this summer, for the many volunteers who are planning to serve, and for our committee and full-time staff team, navigating Camp Squeah through these unprecedented challenges with the hope of re-emerging poised, ready, and willing to be a safe haven of healing and restoration in the near future.
May the Lord continue to be your Refuge,
Rob Tiessen
Executive Director
Camp Squeah
rob@squeah.com
1-604-869-5353 x 102
Mar 30, 2020
While there is great concern surrounding the COVID-19 situation, we at Camp Squeah are working diligently to provide a place of refuge for all persons in our care.
It is difficult to discern at this point the full impact of the outbreak on our operations. Our office is presently closed to the public; however, we are continuing to make preparations for our summer camp programs. Our staff, who are able, are working remotely and reachable by email for your questions.
As further information becomes available, we will continue to keep you, our community members, updated. We encourage everyone to stay informed and follow all recommendations for keeping one another safe.
Mar 13, 2020
Greetings from Camp Squeah,
As we monitor the global impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Camp Squeah remains committed to the safety and well-being of our guests, staff, and campers. As such, we daily continue to monitor official updates and follow the guidance of Fraser Health and our provincial and federal health authorities.
At this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 in the Fraser Valley is still considered low. While we recognize that this assessment is fluid and may change rapidly, for the time being we are committed to welcoming and serving our registered retreat groups and look forward to running spring break day camps next week as planned.
We have been enthusiastically anticipating a busy Spring Outdoor Ed season for some time now and have been dusting off some of winter’s wear on the grounds and trails. Some of you have already been in touch with Dave, our guest group bookings coordinator, wondering about the viability of your retreat in these uncertain times, especially considering some of the mixed messages swirling around the internet and social media.
We are grateful for the work of our Health authority in communicating regular updates and calming fears and anxieties associated with some of the mixed messages. The prevailing message we keep hearing loud and clear is that our best defense against this virus includes the very same good hygiene practices that have long been the standard practice at Squeah - washing hands, covering coughs, and staying home when unwell.
That said, we are implementing additional precautionary measures to ensure that the health and safety of everyone attending and working at Squeah is our highest priority.
Our housekeeping team has increased the number of stations for sanitizing gel and is taking elevated cleaning and sanitizing measures throughout our buildings. We have also distributed signage to remind guests of best practices surrounding hygiene and hand washing.
We recognize that new information is being released daily and some of this information may directly impact the status of your retreat and/or add new elements of risk which may warrant a postponing of your retreat. We are committed to navigating these uncharted waters together with you over the next number of weeks.
Sincerely,
Rob Tiessen.
Camp Squeah, Executive Director,
(ph) 604-869-5353 (ext 102)
PS: We are currently well stocked in the toilet paper department ;-).