Breaking Borders
In collaboration with Outward Bound Canada, Breaking Borders is a Camp Quality program that hopes to equip young adult cancer survivors with important life skills that will aid in the transition into the worlds of work and higher education through a challenging, group-directed outdoor adventure experience. Pushing participants out of their comfort zone, we hope they will find support amongst their fellow peers to persevere, gain self-confidence, and learn that growth occurs when we reach outside ourselves and break down borders.
Who this program is for
- Young adults aged 20 – 25 years old who had a cancer diagnosis
- Live in British Columbia
- Ready to commit to attending 6 of the 7 monthly virtual sessions and weeklong trip at the end of May
Applications for this cohort is currently closed. Applications for the 2024-2025 cohort will open in the fall of 2024.
Program overview
Breaking Borders is a program pioneered by Camp Quality, an international family of non-profit camps that provides summer camp programming for children affected by childhood cancer, hematological diseases, and their siblings. Breaking Borders was developed to address the young adult population of childhood cancer survivors transitioning from pediatric care into adult follow-up clinics – the fastest growing and most underserved oncology age demographic. Breaking Borders addresses the necessary life skills needed to aid in this difficult transition by providing an opportunity for participants to take on a challenge of an outdoor expedition that allows them to build grit, self-confidence, perseverance, and other valuable skills that they will carry with them throughout their lives.
This is done through a series of buildup sessions which culminates in an end of program expedition. Over the course of 7 months, participants will meet via video conference for a session that will help aid them in the preparation for their multi-day final expedition. This expedition is done through collaboration with Outward Bound Canada, an organization committed to helping Canadian youth develop resilience, social competence, and environmental awareness through experiential adventures in the outdoors. Our monthly sessions will cover a variety of topics such as communication, trip planning, team building, etc. Through this, our participants will walk away from the program not only with tangible life skills, but also an increased sense of self that one attains only from embarking on an outdoor adventure.
Trip Expectations
Physical expectations while on trip (The Breaking Borders cohort will decided as a group if we embark on a water or land based expedition):
- If water based
- Be able to sleep several nights in a tent shared by other young adults
- Be able to sit in a sea kayak for up to 3 hours per day
- Be able to be outside for a full day
- If land based
- Be able to sleep several nights in a tent shared by other young adults
- Be able to walk several kilometers per day
- Be able to carry a backpack with their belongings/gear/food
- Be able to be outside for a full day
Past Cohort Trips
- 2023 – Sea Kayaking and camping in Tofino
- 2022- Kayaking and camping trip in Revelstoke, BC
- 2021 – Multi-day camping and hiking trip summiting Mount Edward Albert