Camp Bowen

From left to right: Alex Jurgensen (16) and Matthew Alvernaz (13), two friends who met at Camp Bowen. Photo by Stuart Davis for the Vancouver Sun

Please note: The following announcement was made at the Camp Bowen Society for the Independence of the Blind and Deafblind’s Annual Meeting of Members, held on Bowen Island, BC on September 17, 2019.

Announcing Camp Bowen: Linda Evan’s Memorial Music Camp

On August 16, 2019, the Board of Directors of the Camp Bowen Society for the Independence of the Blind and Deafblind unanimously approved the renaming of the Music Camp program to “Camp Bowen: Linda Evans Memorial Music Camp”, in memory of Linda Evans (October 3, 1949 January 3, 2009).

Summer after summer, Linda took great pleasure in volunteering her time at Camp Bowen, where her sing-alongs became a beloved camp staple. Those of us who were fortunate enough to have met Linda always knew that we could count on her to provide a listening ear whenever we needed it.

Among Linda’s many accomplishments, she was instrumental in the creation of Camp Bowen’s original music camp and band camp programs, the latter of which was renamed in her honour in 2008, the last year the program ran under CNIB. Her love of music and vision for what the band camp ultimately became leaves a lasting legacy that will continue on to touch future generations.

As we approach what would have been Linda’s 70th birthday on October 3 and in preparation of officially reopening the program in 2020, we are renaming the program to remember the strong, courageous, and compassionate woman who was taken from us way too soon and who’s vision and legacy will live on to inspire new generations of blind, low vision, and Deafblind musicians at Camp Bowen.

Camp Bowen: Linda Evan’s Memorial Music Camp will join Camp Bowen: Adult Camp on the 2020 summer camp roster.

Camp Bowen: Linda Evan’s Memorial Music Camp 2020 is designed to bring together low vision, blind, and Deafblind youth ages eight to eighteen on Bowen Island, BC, to learn the basics of playing musical instruments, build peer support networks, have fun, and gain confidence. Campers will explore the beginner band curriculum and will participate in an end of camp concert that their families, friends, and the Bowen Island community will be invited to attend. Giving campers skills and confidence in music fundamentals means campers can go on to take part in school band and community music programs. Camp Bowen staff are very pleased to be once again working alongside volunteers from the West Vancouver Youth Band to provide this exciting program.

From left to right: Alex Jurgensen (16) and Matthew Alvernaz (13), two friends who met at Camp Bowen. Photo by Stuart Davis for the Vancouver Sun

As summer gets into full swing, bringing with it long days and nice weather, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that the new deadline to register for Camp Bowens Music Camp 2019 for Blind, Deafblind, and Low Vision BC Youth Ages 8 to 18 is fast approaching. The last day to register is July 15, 2019, under two weeks away. Campers will be accommodated on a first come first serve basis. After July 15, we will potentially have space for more campers but it is important that we know how many campers are coming as soon as possible to finalize numbers and pass final counts to our activity providers.

As always, our full camp details can be found at the following links: Web Version and :Printable/Downloadable PDF. We also now have a FAQ section that can be accessed here.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please direct them to our camp coordinator, Alex Jurgensen at +1 (778) 512-4721 or by reaching out to us by any of these methods.

Thank you in advance for helping us make sure all blind, Deafblind, and low vision BC youth ages 8 to 18.

From left to right: Alex Jurgensen (16) and Matthew Alvernaz (13), two friends who met at Camp Bowen. Photo by Stuart Davis for the Vancouver Sun

Hello Everyone,

Summer is just around the corner and the preparations for another camping season at Camp Bowen are underway. Registrations, finalization of details, and a host of other tasks are on the go to ensure everyone will have a fun and rewarding experience at camp.

Today, we are very excited to announce that we are making some positive changes to Camp Bowen’s Music Camp 2019 program.

In response to inquiries about the ages of campers permitted to participate in the program, we have decided to drop the minimum age requirement to 8, making the age range 8 to 18. In the past, this camp has been popular with campers as young as 8 and we are excited to welcome campers from across the age range.

The second change we are making is to our camp costs. Thanks to an anonymous donor, all camp fees have been covered. Anyone who has already registered has not been charged for the camp fees and any future registrations will likewise be accepted free of charge.

Finally, if anyone has had difficulty in registering or has not yet received confirmation of their spot, please get them to call me directly at: +1 (778) 512-4721.

Please note: If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Simply go here.

The updates above are reflected in our updated information, which can be found at the below links: Web Version and the Printable/Downloadable (PDF) Version.

Please note: For vision teachers and other service providers, the PDF version above is specially formatted for printing and should be used when sending hardcopy information home to families.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to call me at: +1 (778) 512-4721.

Warm Regards,
Alex and the Camp Bowen Team

At the end of last year we promised that 2019 would have some exciting announcements and today we are ready to announce the first of these, Music Camp 2019.

Music Camp 2019 is designed to bring together blind and Deafblind youth ages ten to eighteen from across the province for eight days on Bowen Island, BC, to learn the basics of playing musical instruments, build peer support networks, have fun, and gain confidence essential for full and equal participation in school band and other music programs in their communities alongside their sighted peers. Campers will explore the beginner band curriculum and will participate in an end of camp concert that their families, friends, and the Bowen Island community will be invited to attend. Giving campers skills and confidence in music fundamentals means campers can go on to take part in school band and community music programs.

Blind and Deafblind students face significant challenges when beginning in music programs due to the highly visual nature of the methods commonly used in beginning band and other forms of music instruction. Our program is designed to give students a foundation of skills and confidence that they can use to bypass visual instruction by taking them through the first part of the beginner band curriculum in a non-visual manner that sets them up to succeed in mainstream band and music programs alongside their sighted peers.

Like all of Camp Bowen’s summer camp programs, Music Camp 2019 balances recreation and skills learning, with a focus on fun! At Camp Bowen, fun is at the core of what we do. Camp fires, hikes,, community outings, and board games are just some of the activities we offer. The skills taught through these fun activities prepare youth for truly life-long independence.

Full Details and Registration

To find out more or to register, go here.