Some boys may have the opportunity to go to a new boys camp offered by the Second Story Women’s Centre this summer.
The centre has traditionally only offered day camps for girls. But they hope the boys camp will be an opportunity to start meaningful conversations about gender equity with boys, said Liz McCurdy, Program Coordinator at the centre, in an interview.
“We believe that empowering girls and women… is only half the solution to ending violence against women,” she said.
Both the boys and girls camps will have largely the same activities: hiking, kayaking, STEM activities and environmental pursuits, all aimed at building leadership skills.
However, McCurdy notes that there will be different conversations had within each camp. While their girls camps have focused largely on issues surrounding empowerment, self-esteem and body image, boys camps will focus on things like masculinity and gender equity.
Societal messages from social media, video games, peers and sometimes even family can all contribute to gender stereotypes, she said.
“I think a lot of the time [these messages] are reinforcing gender stereotypes that we live with and that we’re socialized around,” McCurdy said. “These camps give an opportunity to step back and have conversations about… the messages [boys] are receiving … and what are [they] actually feeling.”
There’s only space for a few youth per camp this year, due to COVID-19, and the centre has not yet invited members of the public to register.
“While all youth could benefit, we want to reach out to youth who may not have this opportunity otherwise first,” McCurdy said.
Similar camps are available elsewhere, but are often inaccessible due to costs.
Most of the camp activities will take place outdoors — to avoid being blindsided by an outbreak of COVID-19 that may trigger public health restrictions.
While not all funding has been approved yet, McCurdy said they’ve begun the groundwork of reaching out to community partners to plan activities.
She hopes the camp can be a positive experience for boys that empowers them to make strong decisions.
