Applications are now closed for the summer 2017 Retreats! Thank you to all who applied!
The 2017 FOXY Retreat dates:
- FOXY Retreat #1: July 5th-13th
- FOXY Retreat #2: August 9th-17th
The 2017 FOXY Peer Leader Retreat for young women will take place from July 5-13th and August 9-17th, and all young women between the ages of 13 to 17 years who live in the Northwest Territories are invited to apply!
There is no charge to anyone who participates in the FOXY Peer Leader Program. All expenses for participants, including travel from their home communities to Yellowknife are covered through the generous support of the Arctic Inspiration Prize and our other sponsors.
Participants receive 2 high school credits for their active participation in the Retreat, and 2 additional credits for their completion of a Community Project when they return to home communities!
Participants at the FOXY Peer Leader Retreat will have the opportunity to learn about sexual health and healthy relationships through photography, music, theatre, digital story telling, and traditional beading. No previous experience with the arts is necessary!
All participants will spend time during the Retreat planning a small Community Project that they will deliver when they return to their home communities with help from a mentor and FOXY. The FOXY team will provide resources to assist with the planning, and will help connect the Peer Leader with supports when they return home.
***Applications are no longer being accepted for summer 2017. Please check back next year!***
(subject to change):
Retreat #1: July 5th to July 13th
Retreat #2: August 9th to August 17th
Day 1
- Participants arrive in Yellowknife from their home communities
- Participants and facilitators spend the night at a team sleepover at the Yellowknife Ski Club
Day 2
- Participants and facilitators leave for Blachford Lake Lodge at 9am via float planes
- Participants arrive at Blachford, get settled, and eat lunch before doing an orientation and getting started on camp activities!
Day 3 – Day 7
- Participants take part in art projects, outdoor activities, sexual health education and empowerment activities, enjoying wonderful hospitality from the Blachford Lake Lodge staff, and planning their Community Projects
Day 8
- Participants spend the morning presenting their community project plans to the group
- After lunch, everyone packs and gets ready to leave
- Over supper, we give out our Camp Awards
- At 7pm, we get onto the planes and return to Yellowknife
- All participants and facilitators go to Yellowknife Ski Club for a team sleepover
Day 9
- Participants all return to their home communities. We’ll miss you!
Blachford is a premiere lodge, but some activities will be outside and everything will take place in a rustic environment. Please do NOT bring anything that you will be upset about if it gets damaged/lost!
This is a suggested packing list, but remember that all of our accommodations will be shared, and you’ll be responsible for keeping track of all of your belongings. Most of what you need (such as bedding, pillows, and towels) will be provided while at Blachford.
Please pack light! Make sure that your baggage is within the weight limit of your flights to Blachford/Yellowknife (around 30lbs).
IF YOU DON’T HAVE EVERYTHING ON THE LIST, DON’T WORRY! CONTACT CANDICE – YOU CAN PROBABLY BORROW SOMETHING FROM FOXY!
Even though it will be summertime, please remember that it can get chilly at night!
- T-shirts – plus your FOXY t-shirts/hoodies if you already have them!
- Jeans/outdoor-appropriate pants (yoga pants or other comfy pants are awesome!)
- Light waterproof jacket (in case it rains)
- Shorts
- Sunhat/ball cap
- Hoodie
- Underwear & bras
- Socks
- Pyjamas
- Bathing suit
- Shoes
- Sandals
- Runners or light hiking shoes
- Toiletries (eg. Shampoo/conditioner/soap, toothbrush & toothpaste, hair brush & comb, lip balm, glass (if needed), contacts/contact solution/case (if needed)
- Sunglasses
- Camera and battery charger (don’t worry if you don’t have one – FOXY has lots you can borrow!
- Daypack/backpack
- Water bottle (reusable and marked with your name!)
- Flashlight or headlamp
- A book
- Towel for swimming (shower towels will be provided)
- Sleeping bag, pillow, and an optional small foamie or air mattress for the sleepovers in Yellowknife (these will get stored in Yellowknife when we go out to Blachford – so pack them separately from the rest of your gear!)
- Any prescription medications in their original containers (this is to be given to the Retreat First Aider on the first day for safe keeping – she will give it back to you at the end!)
- At Blachford, you will be sharing a room with at least one other person. If you have any concerns about this, or would like to make any special requests, please contact us in advance.
- At the FOXY Peer Leader Retreat, smoking, drinking and drugs are not allowed. Please leave these items at home so they don’t jeopardize your chance to stay at the Retreat.
- We will make all attempts to accommodate special medical, nutritional, and personal needs. Please be honest about your needs and we will work with you as much as possible to make sure that you have the best time at the Retreat!
- During the two evenings we are spending in Yellowknife, all participants and facilitators must remain at Yellowknife Ski Club for the duration of the sleepovers as these are team-building activities that are central to the FOXY Peer Leader Retreat. There will be no exceptions made.
- Please be honest and thorough with your health form. It allows us to prepare for all possibilities while at the Retreat.
- During our time at Blachford Lake Lodge, participants will not be able to leave for any reason outside of an emergency. If a participant must be removed from the site for disciplinary reasons, the cost of the flight charter will be forwarded on to the participant’s family.
- All successful participants in the FOXY Peer Leader Retreat will receive 2 Grade 10-level credits in the NWT school system. The Peer Leader Community Projects are worth 2 Grade 11-level credits if they’re completed!
- FOXY strongly discourages you from bringing your phone or device to the Retreat – we don’t have cell service anyway, and the limited Internet is exclusively for the use of the Blachford Lake Lodge staff. If you are concerned about your device getting lost or damaged, please leave it at home. We’ll be super busy anyway doing fun things, and many participants in previous years found that they enjoyed being free from their electronic devices during the Retreat! Don’t worry if you don’t own a camera – we have a bunch of really awesome professional cameras that you will learn how to use and are free to pick up anytime to take photos of your Retreat fun (and we’ll make sure you get to take all your photos home with you)!