CAMP OKEMA (Skwn) — Camp Okema is an Anglican summer camp on the north part of Emma Lake. Many kids come to Okema each summer as campers, cabin leaders, and as they grow, volunteer staff.
I have been attending Okema for every one of my 17 summers as first a staff kid, then a camper, cabin leader, and I just finished my third summer as the Okema lifeguard. Attending Okema as a kid, I understand first hand the effect and impression it can leave on a person. Okema is a safe space to discover God, meet new friends, and learn who you are by having fun. As the current Okema lifeguard, my goal has always been to give kids the same memories of Okema that I have, which are ones of fun, friendship, and fellowship.
The jam-packed days at Okema include group activities, chapel, swim times, delicious meals, camp-wide games, and campfires. As a staff member and activity leader, I have always enjoyed seeing the pride on kids’ faces as they canoe for the first time or shoot their first bow. As a kid, my favourite part of camp was the wide games, particularly Bible smugglers. This game was a battle between the campers and staff where campers tried to sneak by the staff to bring their “Bibles” to safety without getting caught.
Bible Smugglers is still a fan favourite among campers. Wide games always end with a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie before a campfire and a beautiful Camp Okema sunset.
The little moments staff members at Okema have to experience stick with you; campfire is a perfect example. The songs sung by the lake are some of my favourite moments. Classic camp songs such as “All in All,” “A Friend Like You,” “See Ye First,” and, of course, “The Moose Song” stay with people who attend camp, and I often have campers who see me outside of camp ask me to sing with them.
Camp is a place where everything seems to slow down. No one is on their phone, things are quiet, and you can take a moment. Okema is a place where kids get to have fun, build lifelong friendships, enjoy the outdoors, and learn about God. I am forever grateful for how Camp Okema has positively affected my faith, the memories I have made, and the people I have met.
