Name: Suzanne McNeill
From: Montreal Quebec
Staff, Anglophone

My name is Suzanne and I am 19 years old. 2007 was my first summer as
a staff member at Ouareau, but I'd made the trip up North to camp once
before as an English camper.
There are many favorite things about Ouareau that made my summers
special, and they are the people who go there. The supportive and
creative atmosphere that just kind of happens when all the Ouareau
campers and staff get together is something that I will never forget.
Even as a new staff, I felt like camp was my home right away; when
people asked me where I lived, I answered the name of my super amazing
staff cabin, even for a week or two after returning home! As a camper,
I was quite the picky eater, but there was such a variety of food at
camp that I always found something I liked. I absolutely loved the
sticky buns! As a camper, I loved the wide variety of fun activities
at camp that I'd never had the chance to try before, and as a staff I
had the privilege to be on Oueareau's waterfront as assistant head of
canoeing. I loved working at such a well-maintained and well-equipped
facility. Particular favorites of mine were some of the beautiful wood
Ouareau canoes, as well as the whitewater kayaks. However, there's no
way to fully express all Ouareau has to offer for its campers and
staff in words, so you'll just have to go to Ouareau to find out!

Name: Kate Taylor
From:Ottawa, ON
Staff, Anglophone

I have worked at Ouareau for three years (four if you count the 2008 season!) and I was a camper for five years beforehand as well as a CIT in 2003. Each summer since my first I have had better and better experiences at camp, and I couldn't even begin to tell you which were the best; there are just so many! I keep coming back because I know that each year will be a different group of people to work with and there will be new challenges and opportunities for me to grow as a person. I always love working with the staff at Ouareau because no matter how many new people there are on the first day of pre-camp, we are all a close-knit family group by the end of the summer. New friendships are formed and last to outside camp and into the city, and the friends I've made at Ouareau are the ones I know I can always be myself with.
As a staff member I have worked as the Head of Archery and the Head of Canoeing, and both activities are ones that I enjoyed a lot as a camper. I liked running Archery because I felt like I could bring a lot of enthusiasm to the activity that I sometimes found lacking as a camper; I was able to make it a popular activity choice for the campers. With Canoeing, I love being able to work with more other staff as well as with a wider range of campers. You really get to know a lot more people by the end of the summer by working at an activity where more staff and campers are involved. Canoeing also gave me the opportunity to go on trip with some absolutely wonderful girls, and tripping is an experience you NEVER forget! Being on staff at Ouareau has also helped me improve my French language skills in a way I never would have been able to otherwise. I can carry on conversations in French better now than I was able to back when I was studying it in school!
I think Ouareau is one of the best-run camps I've experienced or heard of; the food is incredible, the camp is kept tidy and looks well-loved, there are so many activities to choose from and experience… and the campers here are SO MUCH FUN! There is just something about the girls we get at Ouareau that makes the magic of camp exist. The smiles, the laughter, the hugs, the tears… it's all part of the beauty of Ouareau girls.