OUR FLAG PROJECT | sherbrookelakecamp

2022 Flag Project

Initiated by our Board of Director's Social Justice Learning Circle and Operational Director, the Flag Project was the opportunity for Sherbrooke Lake Camp to reflect on our camp and how we show up for our campers, volunteers, staff and community.

During a multi-camp training weekend hosted by Outdoor Recreational Ministries, this project was initiated by youth and young adults across 5 camps in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The youth and young adults from these camps researched these flags, did peer education, took time for reflection and then mounted them at Sherbrooke Lake Camp. The Flag Project document, as shared here, was created by SLCs Operational Director to support the staff and volunteers at camp in raising the flags each morning at camp while reflecting on what they mean and why they're at camp.

Thank you to the youth and young adults at Camp Kidston, Camp Abegweit, Camp Tawasi, Camp Wegesegum for your collaboration on this work!

The Why

Sherbrooke Lake Camp resides in beautiful Franey Corner, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is on the East Coast of Canada which is part of Turtle Island (North America). Sherbrooke Lake Camp resides on Mi'kma'ki, the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaw people. This means that they did not give up this land, but it was taken from them.

Nova Scotia is home to many people with a diverse background and diverse history. When campers come to Sherbrooke Lake Camp, we want to welcome them home as well. We recognize the barriers that many folks face in coming to camp, and it isn't enough just to invite them to the table. So we are setting the table, holding space and doing the hard work towards making camp more inclusive and safe.

Flags represent so much to people: their culture, their story, their history and so much more. We raised 9 new flags to tell the story of more Nova Scotian's and support folks feeling seen, included and acknowledged at camp. We recognize there will be blindspots in our work and are seeking to continuously grow through community and education.

Note: When researching these flags, we tried to find resources that reflect the communities for which the flags came from. Therefore, the resources may not be typical to what is seen in research, but come from those groups and try to better represent their authentic experience.