WHY CHOOSE US?

The positive long-lasting impact and benefits that the Bellaleo Outdoor Education Program provides school communities has never been more essential for healthy student development. Even before the Pandemic we began to witness a growing disconnect in our students and campers towards nature and the outdoors. Even more evident was how many of our students had difficulty interacting and communicating with one another, especially if they were meeting other students for the first time. This was most clearly seen in transition years such as moving into middle school after Grade 6, or into high school after Grade 8. Every school will experience its own unique challenges such as cliques, division or exclusion, all of which contribute to students feeling isolated instead of connected.

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At Camp Bellaleo we have built our Outdoor Education Program to directly target these types of issues and have established a proactive and powerful experience that ultimately helps prevent these issues before they begin. We are truly delighted when a school that has just left Bellaleo informs us that after returning home their students display a higher level of connection, communication, compassion, and seem to have a greater sense of belonging. This is exactly what the dream was for Alexa Skinner and Zak Haddad, the Directors of Camp Bellaleo, when they began to run these programs well over a decade ago. As Physical and Health Education Teachers and Athletic Directors in the Toronto District School Board and the Montessori Private School system the Outdoor Education programs offered at Bellaleo were developed by educators and are delivered by educators. This has clearly contributed to the growing success of the program over the years. 

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Lastly, an important and unique aspect of our program is that all proceeds of any school group retreat goes directly towards providing children in need of financial assistance the gift of summer camp. For questions regarding available dates and costs please contact Zak Haddad by email - zak@campbellaleo.ca or by cell (647) 285-2658.