Healthy dating? There’s an app for that with YWCA Safety Siren

The YWCA Safety Siren, available in both English and French, offers users a unique utility siren which can be activated by either pressing the safety button or by shaking an iPod or iTouch. The app also offers Canadian health and safety information geared toward young women, including: short questions and answers about women’s health and wellness, particularly focused on dating and social interaction; tips and facts on safety and wellbeing; links to YWCAs across Canada as well as health and crisis resource centres; and SOS urgent email and phone functionality to a friend or family member when the user is in an unsafe situation.

Highlights include:

•Functionality in both French and English
•Multiple siren settings
•Siren activation sends an emergency email to a pre-set SOS contact with approximate coordinates and places an emergency outgoing call to a pre-programmed number
•A wide range of facts and information on women's health and wellness
•Connections to nearby YWCAs, emergency hotlines, health centres and clinics
•Access to a library of women’s health resources

To download the YWCA Safety Siren visit the App Store in iTunes.

Camp Stephens on opening day 1930

Paddle challenge

There are a more than a few Camp Stephens alumni that work at the Manitoba Legislative Building. One is Tom Garrett.

He sent this the other day:

"Thought you might appreciate this. I’m a Camp Stephens alumni. A colleague and I canoed to work for commuter challenge this year and plan to a few more times this summer if it ever stops raining.
"Anyways, here’s a photo of my canoe bike locked to a light post near the back fountain."

Remove your footwear at the door

For the longest time we removed our shoes when we went into the dining hall. That continued when Lount Lodge was built.
No shoes and boots in either building meant less muck being trucked in and less scuffs on the floors.
It's good to see at least one person in this recent photo remembers that.
Or, he just lost his shoes. Which wouldn't be the first time.

Photo was taken June 27 at the alumni presentation during the 2010 staff training weekend. Left to right: former camp director Hal Studholme, former chef Laurie MacIntosh, former girl's camp director Lynda MacIntosh and shoeless Grant Plants, former camp director.

42 Days in 18 Ways



The gallery display



42 days in 18 ways is a time-based photographic series focusing on the transitions that took place over the course of two 42-day wilderness canoe trips in North Western Ontario during the summer of 2006.

Artists/Trippers Jennifer Cherniack and David Perrett were guides for an educational canoeing program through the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg and Camp Stephens.

Jennifer led seven young women and David led seven young men on separate trips. These canoe trips focus on leadership and personal growth for high school-aged participants.

As trip leaders, the artists set out to incorporate contemporary art education and production into a program largely based on outdoor skills and co-operative living.

Trippers on the girl's trip were Cherniack and Ashleigh Hall.
Campers were Margaux Cadieux, Sarah Kesselman, Meredith Pind, Kelly Berringer, Jocelyn Goertzen, Alex Myers and Katie Black.

Camp buddies Jamaal Ramole and Jennie Cherniack



Details of the show: alumni gallery



Details of the show: girl's trip



Opening night.



Opening night.



What Winnipeg Free Press reporter Morley Walker said about the show (click to enlarge).

Camp Stephens In The News 1913-15

These are PDF files of brief stories about Camp Stephens. Click on the link and type in "Stephens" to read the story. Click on the plus sign to increase the reading size.


W. H. Moor and 33 Boys

Kenora Boys' Camp

Boys Had A Happy And Helpful Time At Kenora Camp

Camp Stephens 1964 postcard

I grabbed this off eBay the other day. The seller is in Birmingham, UK. Opening bid was £0.99.

If I Designed Mudjikiwi

The cabins, built in the mid-1960s, are to be replaced with buildings geared for today's standards of safety, privacy and comfort.

The new cabins will be built over several seasons. Work is expected to start soon.

For more information, go to If I designed Mudjikiwi for 2010 on Facebook .
You can see three of the old cabins in these photos, the oldest a cabin by Lone Pine in the 1920s. The second oldest is of St. Julien's taken in 1947. The next one of a Better Ole cabin group dates from 1961. The others are of the 1966 dedication. Hugh Benham and Neil Robinson unveil the plaque.
(Click on the photos to enlarge)
At the bottom is a video I did of cabins in Sept. 2009.

Barley Water Folk Festival

John Karras (lid) and Ted Spear perform at the first Barley Water Folk Festival at the old St. James 'Y'. Bruce Talbot performs at the bottom right, same night.
In mid to late 1970s a number of these performances were held to raise money (by selling barley water to people over 18) to run trips and buy equipment for wilderness and leadership programs.

Most of these performances were taped, and I'm led to believe "someone" still has the tapes. If that "someone" would like to share them with me, I can convert them so we can all listen to John Prine's Dear Abby and Valdy's Simple Life sung by other people.- Bruce Owen

Stones Night At the Red Cactus

Geoff Owen on keyboards and vocals and Tim Goodwin on bass. Recorded Nov. 10-11, 2009. A bunch of old camp staff came out and we all stayed up real late.
Click here for part II of the show: Tumbling Dice .
Click here for part III: It's All Over Now.
Click here for part IV: Dead Flowers.
Click here for Part V: Live With Me.

Contest! Name the McGregors!

Which one is who and when was it taken?

Prizes yet to be determined.

(Anyone with last name of McGregor is not allowed to play).

The Spirited Challenge

The Spirited Challenge (Click to read)

The Spirited Challenge is probably the most extensive written history of Camp Stephens.

The 24-page booklet captures the history of the island from its first days.

It was put together by then camp director Bob Picken (no, not by memory) for the 100th anniversary of the camp in 1991.

Lount Lodge 1991

Lynda MacIntosh lent me her copy of it about two years ago. It's time to return it. Lynda is sitting on lodge steps in photo from 1991 anniversary.


(There is one typo in it. On page 10 it should read Al and Jean Wilde).

You can read Hal Studholme's invocation that he gave at the 100th anniversary of Camp Stephens chapel service.

Also included is a brochure prepared for the 90th anniversary and the dedication of Lount Lodge, plus the agenda of the day's events.

I've also included a list of the original shareholders of what was to become Camp Stephens. These are the people whose vision created camp.

Click on the highlighted words to download.

Cheers, Bruce