By: Michael Bennett, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Ridgetown Independent News
Kenesserie Camp is looking for about 450 kids and 15 teens/young adults as its 2026 summer program approaches.
Registration for campers and the hiring process for staff have opened for Kenesserie Camp, which has been providing summer fun and lifetime memories for local youth since 1903.
Kenesserie is a Christian-based overnight summer camp that offers six week-long sessions in July and August for kids ages 7-14.
There is a weekly maximum of 84 campers, who are housed in cabins.
Each week features a different theme for activities, including swimming, crafts, music, archery, nature programs, a cookout, a sleep-out under the stars, and team-building projects.
“Kenesserie Camp has been a place where children discover confidence, resilience and lasting friendships,” said Dan Richards, Executive Director. “They learn how to solve their own problems because mom and dad aren’t there.”
Campers also get time away from their screens as phones, computers and other devices are not allowed.
But the campers will be so busy with activities that there will be no time to sit around on their phones or other devices anyway.
“They get to be outdoors, they spend 90 per cent of their time outside,” Richards said.
This summer’s themed activities are:
Week 1 – Lights, Cameras, Action; July 12-17, open ages 7-14;
Week 2 – The Land of Oz; July 19-24, all girls ages 7-14;
Week 3 – The Great Canadian Road Trip, July 26-31, open ages 7-14;
Week 4 – Prehistoric Adventures, Aug. 4-7, primary ages 5-10;
Week 5 – Ultimate Holiday Takeover, Aug. 9-14, youth ages 12-15;
Week 6 – Buzz & Woody’s Camp Quest, Aug. 16-21, open ages 7-14.
A full description of each week, including fees, menu, daily activities, FAQ’s, is available online, where parents can also register their children.
Kenesserie also offers Counsellor In Training (CIT), a camp leadership program for youth who like working with children and are interested in learning and enhancing leadership skills that can be used in a camp setting and in their communities.
While campers make friends for life, so do the staff.
Richards said Kenesserie is looking for about 15-20 teens (minimum age of 16 as of July 1) and young adults to serve as camp counsellors.
The spring staff, who are on site from May to August, comprises post-secondary students, with positions including a program coordinator, an office administrator, health care coordinators, aquatics coordinators, and leadership coordinators.
Summer staff positions for secondary school students include cabin counsellors, program specialists, pool lifeguards, kitchen staff, as well as junior counsellors and CITs from last summer who will not be 16 before the camp opening.
Positions are available for all experience levels, as high school students may qualify for co-op credits.Richards said anyone interested in a career in education or child care will benefit from the experience they gain by working for a summer at Kenesserie.
“If anyone is looking into an education degree or anything with youth and children, they get training, they learn leadership skills and conflict resolution,” Richards said. “And they get to have fun … they get paid to play.”
Richards said that, like the campers, the staff also make lifelong friendships.
“There’s a bond with the people you spend your summers with because they don’t go home at night, they’re together 24/7, five days a week,” he said.
Kenesserie Camp is also seeking volunteers from across Chatham-Kent who are passionate about youth development and community building.
Volunteers play a vital role in keeping the camp experience accessible and vibrant, serving in positions such as board members, property volunteers, and special event volunteers.
Kenesserie Camp has undergone a massive renovation since 2023, when Public Health inspectors determined that several amenities – the dining hall, three cabins, the staff lounge, and the Vesper Point meeting place – were within the bluff danger zone and could not be used.
Camp officials were forced to scramble to rent tents and trailers, as the inspection came just over a month before that summer’s opening dates.
Since then, thanks to funding from the United Church of Canada and major donations from local individuals, organizations and businesses, the camp has been able to meet its $500,000 goal to cover renovation expenses.
Kenesserie Camp features a new kitchen and dining facility, an expanded Spirit Centre and three new buildings, each containing two cabins.
Last year, a project to reroute to hydro lines was completed.
Kenesserie Camp is holding its annual open house on Saturday, June 7, from noon to 5 p.m., where families can drop in to tour the facility, meet with staff and enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers.
There is no pre-registration required.
Go to www.kenesserie.com for more information.
