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Every program at Radiant Girls Camp by Serneity Valley in Burlington is designed to inspire girls to be themselves, and feel comfortable and confident with their body, mind, spirit and personality. Girls are encouraged to love and nurture their body. To stand tall, and be proud to try again. To find the courage and creativity to follow her passions. And to discover how to build strong, healthy friendships.
Focus is placed on 9 key elements of your daughters life:
Self Image
Even though young girls today seem to have more opportunities, many girls are less confident, happy and satisfied with their lives. And it's no wonder – girls are constantly given the message by media that they don't measure up. The resulting pressure and negative reinforcement they face during this critical period in their lives can derail their self-esteem and judgment and shake the foundation of their future. During our movement component we spend a great deal of time discussing self talk, loving what you've got, and achieving personal bests.
Empowerment
In our weekly camps, we work to uncover each girl’s true passions, discover the values they have created, and the beliefs that are currently limiting them. Through group coaching, journaling, and self reflection exercises, girls develop a better understanding of who they really are and how to stay true to themselves. These strategies are based the latest research on developing confidence, empowering beliefs, and smart goal setting. The intent is to help each Radiant Girl transition into their teen years with strong communication and leadership skills.
Healthy Relationships
Through a variety of activities designed to help the girls learn more about themselves and their emotions, the girls will also learn to build healthy relationships. We'll discuss the importance and value of creating healthy relationships, and we'll experiment with skills and actions that teach young minds how to nurture relationships so they can grow and flourish. We will weave these discussions in our activities, and provide a forum to discuss issues (one-on-one or in a group) that are important to the girls.
Self Discovery
As we integrate the message of a healthy mind, body and soul through the week, we’ll have the girls explore their thoughts and feelings through scrapbooking, journal writing, creative art activities, photography, and crafts. This creative expression component allows them to reflect, and listen to their inner voice. Coaching tools and techniques will be used to open them up to new ideas and discoveries that are unfolding daily.
Nutrition
Through research based education, we will explore growing food, preparing nutritious meals, and trying new foods. Each day will consist of a visit to the garden to pick foods that we will include in our lunch. Girls will help to prepare the meal, while the nutritionist leads them through cooking tips and techniques. The group will sit down and enjoys their meal together, and discusses the nutritional value and importance of eating well. Juicing, sprouting, smoothies, and healthy snacks are often part of this program. Our goal with nutrition is to expose girls to new and healthy options, and have them discover a love for nutritious foods. Our lunches resemble a buffet style approach so they can pick and choose from a variety of options. We take great pride at the end of the week to winning over even the pickiest of eaters. Based on the requests of previous camp attendees, we now send our recipes home with each girl.
Fitness
There is a strong physical component to our camps. Each day the group will be involved in at least 2 hours of structured activity. We’ll try to spend as much of it outdoors as possible. Hiking the bruce trail, a visit to a local organic farm, spending some time in our vegetable garden, or participating in an outdoor fitness class are just some of the activities we have planned! Indoors girls will get a chance to try pilates, use bosu's, bands, balls, and rollers and learn about their core, posture and balance. We’ll have a yoga class component to improve flexibility, improve mental focus, and relieve stress. We’ll shatter some preconceived ideas about what they like, how it feels to be a leader and what they really feel about their amazing bodies. Our activities are always centered around feeling safe, comfortable with the exercises, and testing the boundaries to discover new personal bests. Our fitness activities help girls build a foundation for enjoying physical activity and adventure throughout their lives. As girls participate in non-competitive movement, body awareness, and healthy habits, they experience the benefits and excitement of taking positive risks that bolster their self-confidence and personal growth. This component is guaranteed to inspire girls to get involved in a regular exercise program following the camp.
Stress Management
In a world full of multi media, technology, working parents, school pressures, social pressures, and busy schedules, it’s no wonder our young girls are in need of tools and techniques to unplug from the world. These camps will help to teach them about relaxation, breathing, meditation, self care, and relationship strategies to better deal with the difficulties that come with being a girl. These skills will be extremely valuable for the years ahead. We will introduce them to being mindful of their thought patterns, how to quiet the mind, and introduce them to the many forms of meditation. Our favorite is the gratitude meditation, that teaches them to contemplate all that they have to be thankful for.
Creative Arts
Each day the girls will have some time to play with a project that allows them to express themselves. The activity will be guided with questions to encourage self refection, expression, and focus. Each day will be filled with a new art project. Here are just some of the activities they will be involved in: create dream boards, make meaningful jewelry, design a personal journal, create treasure boxes, design a family gratitude game, personalize an apron and so much more.
Food Philosophy
Our nutrition philosophy is grounded in the latest health research. Our food program will revolve around whole foods with a focus on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and meat. We will limit our intake of dairy, grains and sugars and encourage minimal use of processed and refined foods. We are mindful that young palates need familiar foods. And we are aware that food likes and dislikes are sometimes stressful situations. We accommodate picky eaters with lots of choices at each meal, and have great strategies and games for trying new foods. We are proud to say that we have never had someone go hungry because they did not find something yummy to fill their belly. In fact, the recipes we use at camp are requested by just about every child at the end of the week. We love great food and we want girls to love it too!
