Make Peace with Winter 2024: Register Today!
The Council Of Outdoor Educators of Ontario warmly invites you to attend COEO’s Annual Make Peace With Winter Conference at Camp Kawartha from January 19 – 21, 2024.
Make Peace with Winter 2024 Weaving Warmth will feature workshops that help us stay literally and figuratively warm in the winter. Topics include: bushcraft, hand skills, story telling, trip planning, art creation, skiing, community building, outdoor cooking, and more.
We are honoured to be hosting Laura McPhie as our keynote speaker. Laura is a proud two-spirit auntie whose ancestors are Anishinaabe from the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, Germany, and Scotland. She will be sharing with us how powerful stories can be. Please visit the Keynotes webpage to read her full bio.
We hope to see you there!
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help us manage the parking lot and help folks find their sleeping accommodations on the evening of Friday January 19th. If you are available and would like to help between 4:00 pm and 8:30 pm, please email conference@coeo.org.
Open Mic
It isn’t too late to register for the open mic! If you would like to be part of this event on Saturday evening, please email conference@coeo.org.
Used Gear Silent Auction to Support the Bursary Fund
A well loved COEO tradition is returning this year. If you have gently used gear or gear in need of small repairs, we are hosting a used gear silent auction. All of the funds raised go to support our bursary fund to reduce the barrier cost presents to attending COEO conferences. If you have gear you would like to donate, please email conference@coeo.org or just bring it with you to the conference.
Take time this winter to share connections and support one other. Please invite folks who you see working to build community in the outdoors who may not yet be a part of COEO to consider attending.
MPWW 2024 – REGISTER TODAY!
We have a limited number of registration spots for Make Peace with Winter 2024 – If you hope to attend, then please register today or prepare to be left out in the cold!
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 19, 2024
4:30 – 10:00 p.m. Conference Registration and Orientation
4:30 – 7:00 p.m. Connection Building Activities and Social Time
7:00 – 7:30 p.m. Official Opening and Welcome
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Trading Blanket
9:00 p.m. Late Night Snack
9:00 – ? Campfire
SATURDAY, January 20, 2024
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Breakfast
8:45 – 9:15 a.m. Elder’s Welcome
9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Session A Workshops (60 minutes)
10:40 – 11:50 am Session B Workshops (70 minutes)
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch and Relaxation Break
1:15 – 2:45 p.m. Session C Workshops (90 minutes)
3:00 – 4:30 p.m. The 10th Annual Lärande Loppet!
4:45 – 5:30 p.m. Networking and Mentoring Block
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Dinner
6:45 – 7:30 p.m. Keynote Presentation
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. President’s Wine and Cheese Reception
9:00 – 10:00 p.m. Trivia Challenge!
9:00 pm – ? Campfire and Astronomy option
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. Open Mic
SUNDAY, January 21, 2024
8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Session D Workshops (60 minutes)
10:10 – 10:55 am Session E Workshops (45 minutes)
11:00 – 11:30 a.m. COEO Connections: Collaborative Wrap Up Activity
11:40 – Noon. Official Elder Closing
Noon – 1:00 p.m. Lunch, Invitation to COEO’s 52nd 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 Natalie Kemp, COEO Past, Past President, at natalie.b.kemp@gmail.com with the requested amount and a rationale by December 15, 2023. Bursary applicants will be informed by December 20, 2023 as to whether or not they have received funding.
Register Today!
Regular and Organizational Members $280 (Early Bird Rate) $320
Retiree and Student Members $255 (Early Bird Rate) $280
*Membership: Registrants for the 2024 COEO MPWW Conference must hold a current COEO membership. Not a member? Your membership fee can be paid along with registration.
Also, please note that the special early bird pricing is only valid until December 30, 2023 – to qualify, you must register online on or before this deadline!
Have you seen the OFFICIAL 2024 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!
