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
The Way of the Mystic
Rosemary Morrison – Drawing on our first source – direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a
A Home for Humanists
Peter Scales – Humanism is among the largest spiritual identity groups within Unitarian-Universalism. Is our congregation a home for humanists? (Biographical Note: Peter is a long-time
Pride Service: We Are Family
10:00 a.m. Dar Gareau-Levy, Penelope Hagan, Scott Sollazzo and the musical gifts of Jedora – In a world where those who are different are still bullied, still
Play, Sabbath and Sabbatical
Reverend Fran Dearman, AIM (Accredited Interim Minister) – The themes of Play, Sabbath and Sabbatical are close to the heart–the place where work and love, reverence
The Meaning of Masculinity
Reverend Shana Lynngood – This Father’s Day we will explore the gender role assigned to men in 2015. How is it helpful? How is it limiting?
Mental Health, Atheism, and the Religious/Spiritual
Dr. John Pullyblank – This homily will look at thinking and findings about the relative virtues of a theism, or a more “religious” belief system,
Play, Growth, and Transition
Faye Mogensen and Reverend Melora Lynngood – Play has a way of opening us up to growth, learning and new connections. It also empowers us to
Sanctuary?
Reverend Shana Lynngood – One of the most powerful curricula we have to offer young people in our church is Our Whole Lives (OWL), a sexuality
Talking About Dying Won’t Kill You
Wanda Morris – Advances in medical technology mean many of us will live through diseases and with medical conditions that in previous decades would have killed
Compassion
Dan Klimke – The theme is inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh’s prayer for Compassion: “Let us be aware of the source of being, common to us all
Possibilities and Perils: Honesty within the Family Context
Reverend Melora Lynngood – Mother’s Day Sunday: When is it hard to be honest in families and why? How honest does one need to be? Is it
A Culture of Openness
Reverend Shana Lynngood – In many circles, a high value is placed on honesty. In congregational life it can be important to be honest about our
Courage: The Practice of Walking Alongside Fear
Reverend Melora Lynngood – We wrap up the month with a personal look at our theme, “Courage”. What are you afraid of? How do you manage
Love, Fear, and Earth Day
Marion Pape (Co-chair of our Environmental Action Team) and Rev. Melora Lynngood – As we consider the failing health of our planet on Earth Day, an
Beyond Borders: the Richness of Volunteering at Child Haven International
Maggie McLaren and Fran Pardee – Child Haven is a Canadian charity founded by Unitarians Bonnie and Reverend Fred Cappuccino that is well-known to many of