CALL FOR PRESENTERS! Make Peace with Winter 2023
Make Peace With Winter is happening again! Please come and share your winter expertise at Camp Kawartha in January. Use the link below to apply to be a presenter. The deadline for workshop application is December 16, 2022. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
***MPWW 2023 Call for Presenters Application***
MPWW Registration is now open!
We have a limited number of registration spots for Make Peace with Winter 2023 – If you hope to attend, then please register early or prepare to be left out in the cold!
Your 2023 COEO Make Peace with Winter Organizing Committee has been hard at work on another amazing weekend packed full of professional development, experiential learning and winter fun. Make Peace with Winter is a retreat-style conference for educators interested in learning how to share the outdoors with their students in the coolest of seasons! Snowshoeing, cross country skiing and winter camping skills; games, crafts, learning activities; snow science, winter ecology and much, much more.
Plan to join us as we learn, share and laugh with kindred spirits from across the province and beyond. We’ll savour delicious food all weekend and enjoy an evening social program filled with fun, dancing and live music. You will leave this professional development experience feeling rejuvenated and with many new ideas and resources in hand. The final ingredient for a perfect winter weekend is you! Our host site, Camp Kawartha, is ready to welcome everyone.
Conference Location
Camp Kawartha is an award winning and highly acclaimed facility that is dedicated to the promotion of the highest standard of programming, with a particular focus on outdoor environmental awareness, education and stewardship. Camp Kawartha is situated on 186 acres of stunning waterfront property that features forests, fields, wetlands and extensive trails. The camp offers a unique blend of outdoor, environmental, corporate team building and leadership opportunities for youth, families and user groups throughout the year. For more information about the site, visit: www.campkawartha.ca
Map and Directions
Accommodations
Accommodations will be in Camp Kawartha’s Cabins. They are heated and very comfortable. The beds are bunks and you will need to bring your own sleeping bag and pillow. The facilities are modern and features separate washrooms and shower facilities. Bring ear-plugs just in case, and please inform us of any special accommodation needs with a note attached to your registration form. If you snore, please let us know! We have space reserved for individuals or groups wanting to set-up their own canvas winter tents, but please inform us if you are planning to do so before arriving on-site (same cost applies).
BRING YOUR SKIS AND SNOWSHOES!
You may wish to bring your own cross-country skis or snowshoes with you to the conference – in fact, it’s encouraged! However, don’t worry if you don’t own any, Camp Kawartha has a few sets of skis or snowshoes to lend out to conference participants free of charge.
Meals and Snacks
Camp Kawartha’s culinary professionals will be providing delicious and nutritious meals for the conference. Please outline any dietary needs clearly on your registration form. Coffee, tea, juice and water will be provided at all times in the dining hall. Other snacks will be provided at times indicated. BYOWB! – Bring Your Own Water Bottle. ***Please note, alcohol is permitted on the Camp Kawartha property (BYOB), but no glass beer bottles – cans only please.
Carpooling
As always, the COEO Conference Committee encourages carpooling when possible and will help facilitate this by organizing a list of drivers with available space in January – please contact conference@coeo.org if you require a ride or are willing to offer a ride to someone else.
Conference Schedule
FRIDAY, January 20, 2023
4:00 – 10:00 p.m. Conference Registration and Orientation
7:00 – 7:45 p.m. Official Welcome and Conference Opening
8:00 – 10:30 p.m. Trading Blanket and Late Night Snack
SATURDAY, January 21, 2023
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. Session A Workshops
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Session B Workshops
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Relaxation Break
1:15 – 2:30 p.m. Session C Workshops
2:45 – 4:15 p.m. The 9th Annual Lärande Loppet!
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Dinner
7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Keynote Presentation
8:30 – 9:00 p.m. President’s Wine and Cheese Reception
9:00 – 10:15 p.m. Live Entertainment!
10:30 – ? Late Night Trivia and evening snack, Campfire and Astronomy option
SUNDAY, January 22, 2023
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15 a.m. Session D Workshops
10:30 – 11:45 a.m. Session E Workshops
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch, Invitation to COEO’s 51st Annual Fall Conference and Safe Journey Home!
The Trading Blanket
Now an annual MPWW tradition! To participate in the Trading Blanket activity – bring items to trade! Each participant brings 1 to 3 items they would like to trade. The items should be something of utilitarian value or beauty. The items should be functional and something you are willing to give up. A blanket is placed in the middle of the room. All participants start by sitting around the blanket, with their trade items sitting on the floor in front of them. Participants may circulate around at first to see what items are up for trade. When the trading begins, one person volunteers to put their item in the middle of the blanket. Anyone wanting the item can move their trade items forward in offering. The owner of the original item examines the goods offered for trade, and decides whether to make a trade or not. If a trade is made, there are usually pleasantries exchanged, and the group moves on to the next person’s item. If no trade is made, the owner will remove it from the blanket, thank those who made offerings, and he/she may consider making a trade later in the evening. Get creative! Items we’ve seen on the trading blanket range from homemade preserves, to traditional tools, unwanted clothing (still in good shape), rides home, works of art, jewelry, nature artifacts, and books. The blanket trading can go on for a long time, so participants are encouraged to limit the items they offer for trade, and come and go as they please. Participants have found these interactions much more meaningful than simply shopping for wanted items. Happy trading!
Used Gear Auction
Have you recently upgraded or replaced your beloved outdoor gear? Do you have old camping stuff that could use some TLC or a new loving home? Do you have a pile of “needs repair” gear that you know you’ll never get to? We are planning a used gear auction at the upcoming Make Peace with Winter conference and we are looking for donations of new/well-loved/no longer needed by you gear! All of the money raised is going to COEO’s bursary fund to help us broaden our community and increase access for those who need some extra financial support. Plus, you’ll know that the donated gear will all be put to excellent use within our outdoor community! We will also happily accept any other non-gear donation items to add to the auction if you have anything in mind – we especially love to see things lovingly made by our COEO pals (Crochet?! Pottery?! Cards!? Paintings?! Maple Syrup!? You name it!!) and feel free to reach out if you have something you aren’t quite sure about! If you’ve got anything you’d like to donate, please bring your donations directly to MPWW and find any committee members when your arrive!
A Brief History of Make Peace with Winter
The very first Make Peace with Winter gathering took place at the Leslie M. Frost Centre in Dorset, Ontario on the weekend of February 1-3, 1980. The conference was a cooperative effort between the Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario and the Ontario Teacher’s Federation and was billed as an event primarily for teachers (K-13). The conference took place annually for many years afterwards, but then during the mid to late 90’s was only offered sporadically, and then eventually vanished from the COEO calendar in 2004. Through determination and hard work this once beloved COEO retreat-style conference has returned. Deb Diebel, COEO Past Presidemt was instrumental in reigniting the Make Peace tradition when she and a group of colleagues from the Bluewater Outdoor Education Centre hosted Make Peace with Winter in January of 2012 on the Bruce Peninsula. This collage is a collection of various Make Peace with Winter advertising and posters that were used throughout the 80’s and 90’s.
Conference Bursaries
Each year the COEO Board of Directors sets aside funds for individuals who require financial assistance in order to attend our MPWW conference. Those wishing to apply for this must submit a letter to Kyle Clarke at conference@coeo.org with the requested amount and a rationale by December 10, 2022. Bursary applicants will be informed by December 15, 2022 as to whether or not they have received funding.
Registration is now open!
COEO Members $295
Registration must be made online.
*Membership: Registrants for the 2023 COEO MPWW Conference must hold a current COEO membership. Not a member? Your membership fee can be paid along with registration.
Have you seen the OFFICIAL 2023 MAKE PEACE WITH WINTER CONFERENCE POSTER yet? (see below) Download a copy for your very own, print and display it with pride in your centre, school, camp, store, park, staffroom, office or outhouse!
