Kids Camp (ages 7-15)
Kids Camp offers unforgettable opportunities for children to take part in fun activities and outdoor recreation. Our program provides a safety-focused, secure and supervised environment where kids impacted by cancer can make new friends, foster independence and experience personal growth to help them see beyond the limits of their cancer diagnosis.
We offer inclusive programming that is age and developmentally-appropriate and accommodate our activities for all ability levels, always free of charge.
Who this camp is for
- Children from British Columbia or the Yukon ages 7 (by Dec 31, 2025) to 15 diagnosed with cancer and their siblings, or bereaved siblings.
- All campers must have their childhood immunizations up to date. COVID-19 vaccines are strongly recommended but not mandatory.
2025 session dates will be available in December and applications will open in mid January.
Camp life
Kids Camp is located at the Loon Lake Research and Education Centre in the heart of the UBC’s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest in Maple Ridge, BC. Loon Lake’s peaceful setting allows campers to enjoy all that nature has to offer, including a beautiful private waterfront and forested wilderness.
Campers sleep in dorms with their cabinmates. The dorms have separate rooms of various sizes that fit either a few campers from each cabin group or the entire cabin group. Each of these beautiful modern dorms is equipped with electric lights, bunk beds, washrooms and showers.
In each cabin group of 4 to 7 campers of similar age, there is a minimum of two cabin leaders that are trained by the Camp Goodtimes staff. We strive to create an open and welcoming environment for people of all gender. The application form will provide an opportunity to share more information so that we can place your camper in the cabin group they feel most comfortable in. In the spirit of independence, we encourage siblings to be in different cabin groups.
Campers have the opportunity to choose various activities such as our ropes course, music, campfire songs, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, crafts, drama, sports and games, canoeing, swimming and much more!
Transportation
Most of our campers arrive and depart from camp by car. When you drop your camper off you will have the opportunity to meet your child’s cabin leader, medical team and other members of the staff team.
We also offer air travel and reimbursement of travel expenses in certain circumstances. Please contact the camp office to find out more.
Information guides
Unfortunately, no. Each Kids Camp only offers spots to children diagnosed with cancer, their sibling(s) and bereaved siblings.
Participants (children diagnosed with cancer, siblings and bereaved siblings) are accepted to Kids Camp based on the status of the child affected by cancer and the date of their diagnosis. Decisions about camp acceptances are made with care on a case-by-case basis each year.
You can help ensure your child has a great camp experience by sharing as much information about them as possible during the application process. Please provide us with any details or information about your child’s specific needs that you feel would be relevant in a camp setting and we will pass this information along to the volunteers caring for your child.
Participants graduate from Kids Camp at age 15 or the year that they will be turning 15. Graduates attend a graduation ceremony at camp to honour their achievements. Graduation ceremony attendance is only for volunteers and participants.
Our minimum ratio of campers to counsellors is 3:1. Cabin groups consist of 4 to 7 campers with at least two, but often three, adult counsellors per cabin group.
We eat delicious food! We provide kid-friendly meals and offer many healthy options. Many of our campers say that Camp Goodtimes food is just as good as a home-cooked meal.
Our requirements include Tetanus-diptheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), and hepatitis B based on age schedule. For details regarding requirements please follow our guide. We highly recommend up-to-date COVID vaccine and yearly influenza but these are not mandatory.
It is never to early to start the process of obtaining records and working with your provider for proof of vaccine. We welcome your questions about this process or requirements at any time.
Please note that campers on active treatment or newly off treatment are exempt from this policy until they are able to be re-vaccinated.
At times, kids will miss home when they are at Camp Goodtimes. We discourage telephone contact as this usually makes them miss home more. However, parents can email their child and the note will be printed and shared with their child. More information about this will follow in your acceptance package. Due to logistics, campers may not be able to respond, but the kids are usually glad to hear from their parent(s)/caregiver(s). We ask that parents set their child up for success by providing realistic communication expectations for their time at camp. For example, talking to them about the email option is great, but telling them that they can call home whenever they want is not realistic.