Pride Camp 2025 is Coming!
Summer Camps at UUCoV:
June 30-July 4th 2025 (no camp on July 1 stat)
Camp for Youth:
Uniquely U: a radical inclusion camp
Camp for 5-10 years
Wonder Camp
Camps runs 9 am to 4 pm each day and is held on the beautiful Unitarian Universalist building and grounds on traditional WSAANEC territory.
Our camp divides into two groups: WONDER CAMP for youngers (5 to approx 10 years) and UNIQUELY U camp for young youth 10 to 16 years. Final grouping will be decided by camp directors depending on the # and age composition of who enrolls (and also by interest; we welcome your requests). We ask that all campers be of school age.
Cooking and eating lunch together will be a wonderful and special part of the camp experience. We also ask that you send a hearty snack with your child each day.
*** We will do our best to create lunches that everyone enjoys, and will also ask that campers be willing to try new foods. If your child/youth is particular in what they like to eat, please be prepared to send lunches from home as needed.
Each year our UU community participates in the Victoria Pride Parade, which happens this year on Sunday July 6. We warmly invite your family to join the fun! Please know that while UU parade leaders will be there to support, we cannot be officially responsible for your child at the parade– they must attend with a guardian who is ultimately responsible for their comfort and safety.
Camp fees are on a sliding scale basis of $100 – $200 for the week.
Our Philosophy
We are big believers in embodied learning– an approach which recognizes that knowledge isn’t just stored in the brain but is also formed through our interactions with the world and our bodies. Our programs and activities emphasize the role of physical movement, interaction with the environment, and sensory experiences in learning and fostering wonder.
We believe that a UU church community is an important space for intergenerational connections. This is a place where children and youth can feel seen, safe, and cared about as they grow. It is also a place where children & youth learn (by doing) that they are an essential part of community, and can help to create beauty, wonder and justice in the world.
Monthly Themes
Our activities change with the seasons. We incorporate monthly themes into our hands-on activities – themes like Trust, Inclusion, and Joy.
Pride Camp
For one week in early summer, the children and youth take over the UU buildings and grounds. We cook together, play games, make lots of art, explore nature, and get ready for our grand finale in the Victoria Pride Parade that same weekend. Along the way, we create art and have discussions that honour our authentic selves. Unitarian Universalism values individuality and solidarity, and there is plenty of both at this inclusive and joyful camp. The 2025 camp dates are June 30 to July 3 (not including the July 1 Stat holiday), and the Victoria Pride parade is July 6 (optional for families).
Wassailing
Ancestor's Shrine
Singing & Music
Messy Church
World Religions
Youth Leadership
Past Activities
Practising Stillness
Rev Melora Lynngood and worship Associate Larry Boldt Rev. Melora Lynngood – Stillness is more than the cessation of physical movement. In fact, to attain internal
Stillness as Antidote
Rev Shana Lynngood was the Minister Lillie Lentz was the Worship Associate. Rev. Shana Lynngood – In our current cultural context, the faster the better –
The Gift of Aging
Presenter: Matthew Gardner Worship Associate: Dar Gareau-Levy Matthew Gardner, guest presenter; Worship Associate, Dar Gareau-Levy Our society is disturbed by aging and dying, yet many cultures have considered
Canadian Justice: Is there Hope after Prison?
Presenter: Susan Layng Worship Associate: Penelope Hagan. Susan Layng – Our First Principle affirms that we believe in the worth and dignity of every human
Christmas Eve Vespers
8:00 pm – Rev. Melora Lynngood – Come and join in this quiet, reflective service in which we lift up the hope found in the Christmas story.
Family Christmas Eve Service
Rev Shana Lynngood as Minister 4:30 pm – Rev. Shana – We will celebrate the holy night with lessons (both historical and contemporary) and carols. What does
Winter Solstice Celebration: From Dark to Light
7:00 pm – Paloma Callo, Emma Lentz and members of our Youth Group will lead the congregation from the dark into the light. Come and celebrate the
Beyond Optimism
Dan Klimke was the Worship associate. Reverend Shana Lynngood – Often hope and optimism are conflated or confused. We seem to see them as the same
Winter Blues
Minister: Rev. Melora Lynngood Worship Associate: Larry Boldt Reverend Melora Lynngood – The winter and the holidays that accompany the season are not filled with joy
Hope: Possibility and Potential
The minister is Rev. Jane Bramadat. The story teller is Faye Mogensen. The Worship Associate is Dar Gaareau-Levy. Reverend Jane Bramadat – The theme for
The Threads of Being
Rev Shana Lynngood is Minister and Lillie Lentz is Worship Associate Reverend Shana Lynngood – Walt Whitman (considered a Unitarian by some) wrote, “I am
Our Larger Whole
Reverend Melora Lynngood, Pat Kinrade and Kristina Stevens – We take a look at the integrity of our faith movement with Kristina Stevens, board member on
Walking the Path of Integrity
Amanda Tarling – Our Principles encourage us as Unitarians to be a people of integrity by inspiring us to be honest and ethical. How else does
Remembrance Day: Big Questions
10:30 am — Peter Scales – Remembrance Day on Nov. 11 is a time to remember those who died in wartime, and to consider the Big
‘You Put Your Whole Self In…’
Reverend Melora Lynngood – We say we welcome everyone here. We say everyone can come as their authentic, true, whole selves. No hiding necessary. And yet some of us