‘Great to be back’: Southwestern Ontario overnight retreat back for first time since pandemic started

It’s been a long two years, but youth campers are finally back at Pearce Williams Retreat Facility (PWCC) southwest of London, Ont. in Elgin County.

“So this is re-engage youth weekend,” says Joe Richards, executive director of PWCC. “It's really important to us because we haven't hosted a youth event since the pandemic started.”

There are 21 youth between the ages of 14 and 19 taking part in the two-night retreat. The goal is for young people to get out of isolation, make new friends and re-engage with others.

“With the pandemic it's been so hard to actually like talking to people,” says Shannon Lupsor, a 15-year-old first-time camper. “It's just a great time to just meet new people even and just have time off from assignments and school for the weekend.”

Pearce Williams Summer Camp and Retreat Facility in Fingal, Ont. is hosting its first youth event since the start of the pandemic. (Brent Lale / CTV News)Rarely being able to socialize in-person has made a big impact on the mental health of teens during the pandemic.

“I'm not very social as a person and it's kind of harder for me to make more friends like that,” says Morgen Shaw, a 15-year-old camper. “This is great, and I think I've made friends here.”

The two-night camp was full of games, books, music, campfires and the opportunity to explore the more than 170 acres at the camp in Fingal.

It was all made possible by a special grant, which required the campers to only bring donations for the St. Thomas Food Bank.

“It is because of great community and government support that Pearce Williams has survived the past two years, unable to run summer camp programming, and that support is evident in this case,” says Richards.

“Thanks to a grant from the Great-EST Needs Fund via Doug Tarry Limited Community Fund-FL within Elgin-St. Thomas Community Foundation, the Re-Engage Youth Weekend was made a reality,” he adds.

The exterior of the Pearce Williams Summer Camp in Fingal, Ont. (Brent Lale / CTV News)The camp, which housed migrant-farm workers during the pandemic, barely survived the last two years and needed fundraising to help them through.

Now they are pushing forward.

This summer will be a return to normal PWCC as they have plans to host six weeks of summer camp beginning in July.

“It's great to have parents dropping off kids and trusting us and just to lead silly and fun games has been great,” says Richards.