Camp Ruakawa to host Y Central's family camps in 2020

Camp Ruakawa is located in the Parapara Hills. Photo / Supplied

Y Central is committing $20,000 in funding to help Whanganui families have a "classic Kiwi camping experience".

The Family Camps will be held at Camp Raukawa in the Parapara Hills.

Y Central chief executive Brendan Owens said the camps were being planned for later in the year when the weather had "warmed up a bit".

"There's a three or four-month period leading into these camps, because of the processes we go through with police checking and vetting of people," Owens said.

"There is a screening process, but it's for anyone in the community, you don't have to be a member or a current participant.

"A registration form will be released on our website well in advance.

"It's all about spending quality time together after some tough months for New Zealand families."

Owens said Family Camp was designed to cater to all types of people because activities vary depending on ability.

"The instructors are highly skilled and Camp Raukawa has recently been awarded the OutdoorsMark for safety, so all our families are in safe hands.

"There's a water slide, tubing activities and always plenty of swimming, and families can also try the super-sized flying fox and the climbing wall."

Family Camp at Raukawa was part of Y Central's wider post-Covid-19 recovery plan, Owens said.

"We don't want outdoor experiences for kids to stop, and this is a free opportunity, funded by the YMCA.

"It's all about removing families from everyday pressures, which we all have, and reconnecting with the outdoors."

Owens said the Covid-19 crisis had led Y Central to launch the Let Kids Be Kids campaign, which aimed to support lockdown recovery for young New Zealanders through sport, education, camps, and family time.

"If we can change one thing in a family's routine that encourages them to spend more time together outside of this camp, then we've won.

"That's the whole point."

To contact YMCA Whanganui, visit www.ycentral.nz or call 06 349 0197

To learn more about Let Kids Be Kids visit www.ycentral.nz/donate.