History of our camps - irishsummercamp4kids
Our Story: How it all started
The idea to hold an Irish Summer Camp 4 Kids came after Maureen was asked to go to Sudbury to help run a summer camp for a week in 1999. It was a great success and she thought, why not do this in Toronto. There wasn’t anything like it that existed in Toronto and educated children from Irish families to learn about their heritage.
She began to lay the foundations and put her networking skills to work. She ran the very first Irish Summer Camp 4 Kids in 2000. With the help of Comhaltas and a grant, she received from the Pot of Gold she was able to run a very successful inaugural Irish Summer Camp 4 Kids at Canadian Martyrs School.
How we expanded
Since 2000 The Irish Summer Camp 4 Kids has been very successful. For many years only camp held was in the East End. Every year it grew more successful, Maureen received more and more requests to hold a camp in the West End too. Finally a location was sourced and another camp in the West End of Toronto was started. Each year the camps expanded to various locations across the GTA and beyond. The locations now include – Toronto East and Toronto West and Toronto North, Mississauga, Hamilton, Oshawa, Whitby.
The Irish Summer Camps 4 Kids expanded to multiple Camps during the summer holding week-long camps, teaching children about the entire Irish culture. It incorporates education and fun by combining the Irish language and Irish historical facts along with all things Irish, like singing, dancing, sports, crafts, music (tin whistle and fiddle and other instruments).
Our Teachers & Past Children
Our teachers are very dedicated and professional. Teachers from all across Ireland have requested come to teach at our camp. From Donegal to Dublin and Louth to Leitrim they would like to take part. We gladly encourage more requests because we know this gives children an opportunity to meet Irish teachers who are qualified and bring an authentic feeling to the camp overall.
At the end of every week, we host a concert to showcase what the children have learned. Family members and friends come to see what the children perform. They are always amazed at what their time in the camp has taught their children. After every show, the children’s parents tell us how much they appreciate what we do. They tell us how the children enjoy every minute of the camp and that when their child’s day ends at the camp they will go home singing or dancing or showing them the new they had learned that day. Most of all they tell us of how much fun they had at the camp.Children who came to the camp in 2000 are now in college or married are still talking about the camp and even bringing their own children. We are so proud of the children who attend and the teachers who bring their expertise to provide a top-notch camp at a reasonable price and keep the Irish culture alive.
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