EDGE Camp 2024 celebrates its 14th year with 500+ participants

While the summer can tend to be a quiet time for many parishes, that is not the case for the 28 parishes that collaborated together to run EDGE Camp 2024 at Camp White Pine at the tail end of August. Edge Camp North, West and East all ran their five days of camp back to back to back as usual this year, but did so with new record high numbers of Grade 6–8 kids attending, with 571 coming out. EDGE Camp celebrated its 14th year of existence this summer.

EDGE Camp, which began as parish collaboration idea by Fr. Peter Choi in 2008 with six starter parishes and 125 kids, has only grown since. With the administrative support of the Office of Catholic Youth, the annual theme and program offerings are driven by youth ministers at parishes that offer the EDGE ministry model as part of their youth ministry programming. This year's theme "Set Apart" taken from Jeremiah 1:5, focused on challenging the parishioners to not fear being set apart for the Lord and to boldly commit themselves to living a Catholic life in the face of a culture that does not reflect the Gospel in much of what they see and experience. The OCY assisted in sending eight buses of kids to and from the camp in Haliburton, Ont. While all of the parishes collaborate together on setting the vision and flow of the camp theme and program, each Edge Camp week is directed by an independent pair of directors, overseeing the daily schedule and experiences.

While the camp offerings some high-flying experiences like zip-lining through trees, a giant swing, rock climbing, high ropes and multiple water-based activities like swimming, canoeing and an inflatable water gym, many of the kids reflect on some of their favorite experiences such as daily Mass, receiving the Grace of confession at camp and having time of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on the final night of their stay. The camp is only made possible by the work of the parish youth ministers the volunteer time of the core members from those parishes that give their time to journey with their parish kids for five days.

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