WCCC to Hold Winter Break Adventure Camp

February 9, 2018

Adventure is worthwhile in itself,” said Amelia Earhart, referring to the pleasure gained by the experience of something new and exciting. While the winter climate can be an impediment to some outdoor activities, there are many other options that those of us in Eastern Maine can partake in. Youth between the ages of 8-12 with an interest in having outdoor adventures over winter break can do so at Washington County Community College, where a four-day guided day camp sponsored by the Outdoor Adventure Center will be taking place.

Every day of the camp will feature different activities, from cross country or Nordic skiing to building snow shelters and geocaching. When indoors, campers will be able to test their mettle with WCCC’s rock climbing wall. Learning about winter ecology and identifying tracks will be a theme throughout the week.

The camps are organized and run by the senior students of the Adventure Recreation and Tourism program as part of their required experiential studies. “It’s a wonderful model using students – it provides students in the Adventure Recreation and Tourism program with genuine leadership opportunities to apply the leadership theory that they’re learning in the classroom in a real world environment,” said Scott Fraser, Director of the Outdoor Adventure Center and the Adventure Recreation program.

This is the second full year that WCCC has offered camps for area youth over school vacations in an effort to engage the community and spread awareness about the outdoor activities Eastern Maine offers. The camps have been well-attended and Outdoor Adventure Center Director Scott Fraser is optimistic about the response. “We hope that through this outdoor programming we’re really providing the connection between the kids and their local natural environment,” Fraser said.

The winter camp costs $80 per attendee with discounts granted to families with a military identification card or those who are eligible for the Free/reduced lunch program. There is a maximum of 12 participants and pre-registration is required. To pre-register, visit wccc.me.edu/oac and click on the link for Winter Break Adventure Camp. The camp will run from February 20-23, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.