Registration is now open for the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha’s annual “Adventure in Understanding” 100-kilometre canoe journey for First Nations and non-native youth this August.
The six-day and five-night co-ed program provides a shared cultural canoe experience along the Trent Severn Waterway for 20 First Nations and non-native youth who are 16 to 18 years of age.
The trip departs from the new Canadian Canoe Museum on the shores of Little Lake on Sunday, August 24th and arrives at Curve Lake First Nation on Friday, August 29th.
The 20 youth, along with four leaders, will travel in three 26-foot Voyageur canoes over the Peterborough Lift Lock, experience the “teaching rocks” at Petroglyphs Provincial Park, and visit with Curve Lake First Nation Elders.
Along the way, the group will camp overnight at Trent University’s Champlain College, Lakefield College School, Camp Kawartha, Wolf Island Provincial Park, and Curve Lake First Nation.
The program was launched in 2014 by the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha and is now offered with the assistance of the Curve Lake First Nation Youth Committee and the co-operation of Camp Kawartha and the Canadian Canoe Museum.
“I really enjoyed the evenings by the fire, the paddling during the day, and all the other activities,” said one of the 2024 youth participants. “I hope that this offer will continue for a long time so that many other young people can also enjoy it. I will have fond memories of it for the rest of my life.”
The registration fee to participate in this year’s Adventure in Understanding journey is $400, which covers all food, all paddling and safety equipment, and all camping equipment except for a sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Financial assistance is available for those who are unable to afford the total cost.
For more information, email Don Watkins of the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha at adventureinunderstanding@gmail.com. To apply, and to view videos and photos from past trips, visit pkaiu.com.
