20 young islanders will have a chance to get away from the internet and TV to spend a month in the wilderness, if a program to get Mount Moresby Adventure Camp up and running gets funding from Gwaii Trust.
Islander Jonathan Ebbs has 15 years experience running wilderness adventure camps for youth, and he wants to use his expertise get the camp up and running. He's applied to the Gwaii Trust for about $100,000 to run the camp for a month. That money will also pay a coordinator to run the camp from April to September, advertising it to groups that might be interested in renting the facility.
"If we can excite youth about getting out and learning about the history and geography of these islands and finding a passion beyond towns and pop culture, it opens up a universe of choices on islands. Because youth today are attached to media and the internet, it pulls them to the cities," says Mr. Ebbs. He hopes a wilderness experience will broaden their horizons to see the opportunities young people have available here.
Campers aged 16 and up will pay $500 for a month-long adventure. They'll be divided into two groups of 8-10. While one group stays at camp learning the nuts and bolts of running an eco-tourism facility and working on a community service project, the other will kayak the east coast of Moresby Island learning wilderness and guiding skills. After two weeks, the groups will switch.
Mr. Ebbs says the main emphasis will be on giving young people a strong introduction to eco-tourism.
Mount Moresby Adventure Camp is a wilderness retreat on Mosquito Lake that began seven years ago as the dream of some Sandspit residents. Two cabins house a kitchen, dining area and sleeping quarters for 38. The camp has been used sporadically since it was finished.