The Open Outdoors program is designed to ignite a love of the outdoors by offering accessible outdoor activities to empower equity deserving communities to be comfortable in the outdoors. Equity deserving communities are those historically under-resourced and under-represented in outdoor education and includes Black, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA , and disabled communities. In addition to these groups, the program also aims to engage Indigenous youth and families recognizing the specific historical colonial inequities tied to land access and the outdoors that has led to Indigenous underrepresentation in outdoor education. Outdoor activities will vary based on the location and time of year, but could include canoeing, fire building, orienteering, outdoor cooking, and more. We encourage participation from individuals or families/extended families, but please note that youth must be 16 years old to participate without adult supervision.
April 27 on Toronto Island with the YMCA Day Camps Team – 11:15 am to 2:30 pm. This experience will be focused on learning to build a fire, and then working together to prepare a delicious campfire snack! We will meet at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (near the statue of Jack Layton) at 11:15 am to take the 11:30am ferry to Ward’s Island. We will return on the 2:15pm ferry back to the terminal arriving on the city side by 2:30pm. Your ferry ticket will be provided!
* The Toronto Islands are not a fully accessible site. We have several accommodations in place to make our program more accessible and are continually working to improve in this area. If you have questions about how you can participate, please feel free to reach out to us.

Y Day Camp utilizes many areas of Toronto Islands green space and waterfront to deliver outdoor adventure programs. Junior campers (6-8 year olds) take the Wards Island Ferry and walk to the home base at Snake Island where they participate in a variety of outdoor activities on the large grassy fields with access to waterfront and biking paths. This is a fully outdoor location. Private washrooms and changing trailers will be provided for changing before swimming in the Y owned pool. Senior & Leadership campers (9-15 year olds) take the Centre Island Ferry and walk to the home base near St Andrew’s by the Lake Church where they participate in a variety of activities on the large grassy fields, with access to waterfront and biking paths. This is a fully outdoor location. Public washrooms and changeroom tents will be used before swimming at the Centre Island Beach. Please ensure you come dressed for the weather as our programs operate outside rain or shine! Campers meet their counselors at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal at the bottom of Bay Street before taking the ferry to the Island. Camp operates Monday - Friday from 9am - 4pm. Bussing is available from bus stops throughout the city for $100 round trip per week. For more information, please visit https://ymcagta.org/camps-and-outdoor-education/day-camp/toronto-island