CNIB Lake Joe is excited to announce that applications for the 2025 summer season open Thursday, January 9, 8:00 a.m. Eastern!
In addition to CNIB Lake Joe’s “camp classic” programs like Adult Leisure Weeks, Family Weeks, and all our children & youth programs, we’re pumped to offer two exciting additions this summer: an Intro to Blind Hockey program and a Young Adults Wilderness Trip.
Intro to Blind Hockey: For Curious and Energetic Kids
Due to the success of our Junior Blind Hockey Camp (part of the Camp Abilities program), we’re expanding our blind hockey curriculum to meet the needs of young campers who have never played before. The new Intro to Blind Hockey program will teach campers the fundamentals of blind hockey under the expert guidance of coaches and blind hockey players from Canadian Blind Hockey.
With no experience required, campers will be bused to a local arena where they’ll learn basic skating skills, shooting, and gameplay techniques in an accessible and inclusive manner. As they build skills, they’ll progress to more advanced techniques such as stickhandling, backwards skating, and other essential hockey skills. The goal is to ensure that all campers feel confident and empowered to play and progress on their own timeline.
Wilderness Trip: For Adventurous and Daring Young Adults
Our adult programming also continues to evolve with an exciting new Young Adults Wilderness Trip! Adults aged 19-35 will venture off site to experience the great Canadian wilderness with accessibility top of mind.
Due to the physically demanding nature of this program, campers selected for this program must be able to carry 50 pounds and walk one kilometer with ease. Campers will practice the skills required to navigate tough terrain at CNIB Lake Joe in advance of the trip to ensure everyone is well equipped for this unforgettable expedition. From learning how to pack for the trip, to setting up camp, paddling a canoe and starting a fire, participants will gain important skills that will aid them on their wilderness adventure.
Campers will ultimately spend three days and two nights under the open sky in the backcountry of Algonquin Highlands with the support of an experienced guide and CNIB staff. Surrounded by wilderness, campers will have the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with others over shared bonding moments and challenge themselves both physically and mentally.
"This program was inspired by our Wilderness Immersion for Leadership Development (WILD) youth program introduced in 2019,” explains Eugene Chong, General Manager, CNIB Lake Joe. “Participants told us how exciting it would be to offer a similar experience for young adults to get back into nature. There are many known benefits of spending time in a natural environment which includes improved mental health and physical wellbeing, so we are excited to introduce this experience to our Lake Joe community."
Visit cnib.ca/LakeJoe and download the CNIB Lake Joe 2025 Program Guide to learn about this year’s in-person programs, schedules, fees and more.
Applications open Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 8 a.m. EST.
We invite you to join our virtual information sessions where we will share details about our onsite programs for the 2025 season and answer your questions. Simply click the links below to register:
- CNIB Lake Joe: Info Session #1, Monday, January 6, 2025, from 3 - 4:30 p.m. EST
- CNIB Lake Joe: Info Session #2, Tuesday, January 7, 2025, from 7 - 8:30 p.m. EST