Cedar Glen - YMCA of Greater Toronto

YMCA
Cedar
Glen
Outdoor Education
Leadership and Team Building
Conferences
YMCA Cedar Glen 1

Rediscover the natural exhilaration
that comes from achievement.
The confidence and inspiration you’ll gain
from your unique experiences in nature
will stay with you long after the adventure ends.
Nature brings out the best in us.
It refreshes us in spirit, mind and
body and inspires us to see beyond
the everyday. It challenges us as
individuals and compels us to rely
on those around us. The exhilarating
outdoors is the ideal setting for
personal growth, leadership
development and team building.
YMCA Cedar Glen is located just
north of Toronto in Schomberg,
Ontario (between Bolton and
Nobleton). Although it’s only an hour
from downtown Toronto, you’ll feel
a million miles away from the hustle
and bustle of the city.
We offer a wide variety of day and
retreat programs in outdoor education
and leadership training led by an
amazing group of experienced and
enthusiastic staff.
The beautiful natural surroundings
provide the ideal backdrop for our
unique facilities, which include
meeting spaces with conference
services. You’ll find miles of hiking
trails and opportunities to interact
with nature around every corner.
Outdoor Education 2
Leadership & Team Building 4
Conferences 6
Activities 8
Facilities 10
Contact 12
A blend of “down home” hospitality,
a rustic natural setting, breathtaking
countryside and innovative programs
makes YMCA Cedar Glen the ideal
venue to bring together groups of
children, youth or adults.
YMCA Cedar Glen 1

Outdoor
Education

OUTDOOR EDUCATION
Nature has much to teach us
about living life successfully…
and the Outdoor Education Program at
YMCA Cedar Glen offers a terrific classroom.
This is the second year I have
had a group at your outdoor
education facility and I found
your staff made every activity
enjoyable. I appreciate how
accommodating they were and
how they made our youth and
youth staff feel comfortable in
their abilities.
Sharon Bennett
Parks Forestry & Recreation
Youth Program Site Coordinator
YMCA Cedar Glen’s natural diversity
provides an optimum classroom for
an outdoor education experience.
We bring your curriculum to life
by combining fun and adventure
to create unique outdoor learning
experiences linked to the Ontario
Ministry of Education Curriculum.
We offer a variety of safe, exciting,
and curriculum-based programming
for all ages. Our facilitators are
qualified Ontario school teachers
and graduates of recreation or
outdoor education diplomas and
degree programs. Facilitators are
able to customize your program
to meet the needs or abilities of
any class.
With a focus on interactive,
hands-on activities where all
group members participate,
your students will experience
a “living” laboratory where
classroom lessons come alive.
You can combine multiple programs
and activities to create a tailored
outdoor learning adventure for
your group. By observing your
students interacting outside the
classroom, you’ll gain insight
into their thought processes,
behaviours, and abilities.
Your group will be inspired, both
mentally and physically, by their
experiences at YMCA Cedar Glen.
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Leadership &
Team Building
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LEADERSHIP & TEAM BUILDING
Our adventurous outdoor challenges
are designed to show your team just what
they’re capable of achieving
– more than they thought possible.
YMCA Cedar Glen leadership activities
enhance and improve important life
skills by teaching team members to
approach new tasks with enthusiasm,
cooperate effectively and discover their
hidden skills as individuals. We will
stretch the limits of self-imposed
boundaries, encouraging individuals to
believe anything is possible.
Relationships develop quickly amongst
team members. Participants report
they’ve gained a deeper connection
with their peers after completing the
challenges. Leadership activities are
short and succinct, providing an
opportunity to reflect on the group’s
performance — something we rarely
have to time to do in our hectic lives.
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The rock climbing experience
proved to me that as a leader,
it is my job to not only reach
the top, but to help others get
there too. I really learned a lot
from this experience and it is
definitely one of my best high
school memories.
Ayasha Mayat
Lincoln M. Alexander’s Student
Activity Council President
Leadership activities are well suited for
students, sports teams, youth groups,
corporate teams or any group that
works together to achieve common
goals. Groups are plunged into a novel
experience where all participants are
on equal footing.
Whether it’s tackling the High Rope
Aerial Trust Dive or maneuvering
through the Low Rope Spiders’ Web,
the physical and intellectual dimensions
will build self-confidence and challenge
individuals to think as important
members of a group.
Leaving the classroom or office behind
allows your group to learn together,
strengthen bonds and create
experiences that will last a lifetime.
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Conferences

CONFERENCES
You’ll be surprised how quickly
fresh air can stimulate
fresh thinking.
When researching places to bring
my colleagues for team building,
Cedar Glen was a definite stand out
for me. I was looking for a location
that would take us away from the
hustle and bustle of the city where
we could sit back, relax and think
clearly. Our group sessions at
Cedar Glen put us in the right state
of mind to learn more about ourselves
and each other allowing us
to come back to Toronto even more
energized than when we left.
Whether hosting a conference, meeting, or
retreat, our beautiful natural setting is sure
to energize and inspire your group.
Our facilities combine rustic beauty with
modern conveniences. Accommodations
feature private bathrooms, and our dedicated
meeting space and break-out rooms are
equipped with audio visual equipment,
wireless Internet access and catering tailored
to your needs — all at a fraction of the cost
of many conference centres.
Our qualified facilitators can design team
building activities such as icebreakers to
help set the tone for your event. Recreational
activities are also available to let your
participants recharge between sessions.
There are 263 acres of fields, forests and
creeks for them to explore.
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Ronn Battaglia
Principal
SOS Design Inc.
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Activities

Activities
Children, youth and adult groups
can all learn from a back-to-basics
nature experience filled with
challenge, excitement and surprise.
Outdoor Education
Stream Studies
Learn the “kick and sweep” method of
catching invertebrates and explore the
ecological health of Cold Creek.
Amazing Animals
Find out which mammals live at YMCA Cedar
Glen through exploration of their habitats
and identification of their characteristics.
Frog Pond
Discover frogs as they move through the
stages of metamorphosis.
Animal Survival
Participants are introduced to the food
chain while acting out the roles of a
carnivore or herbivore.
Leadership Development
Group Initiatives
Problem solving tasks that rely on team work.
Low Ropes Challenge Course
Progressively demanding activities that follow
group initiatives; completion depends on
communication and trust, and two Low Ropes
Challenge Courses are available.
High Ropes Challenge Course
Individuals conquer challenges with the
encouragement and support of their peers;
three High Ropes Challenge Courses with
eight unique elements are available.
The Maze
Beat your best time or build your team’s
communication skills as two facilitators give
directions from the observation towers.
OUTDOOR LIVING SKILLS
Archery
Develop individual skills and participate in
challenging team games.
Climbing Wall
Two-sided structure with four climbing
routes – groups work together to safely
belay and encourage climbers.
Survival Skills
Learn to build a fire, cook over an open fire,
and build a shelter from natural materials.
Orienteering
Three courses are available to learn
how to read a map and how to use a
compass to properly navigate a course.
Finnish Kick Sledding
Partners can enjoy this traditional
Finnish mode of winter transportation
in snowy weather.
Snowshoeing
Learn how to snowshoe on a guided hike.
Tobogganing
Enjoy speeding to the bottom of the valley.
Swimming
Our large outdoor pool provides a refreshing
break on hot summer days.
Volleyball
Learn to play beach volleyball on our
front lawn.
Mountain Biking
15 mountain bikes and instruction are
available to explore our rugged terrain.
EVENING Program
Campfire
Enjoy skits and songs around the campfire.
Night Hike
Learn about night vision, echolocation, how
animals see at night, and enjoy an energetic
hike before turning in for the evening.
Talent Show
Show off your hidden talents!
Large Group Games
Let our facilitators provide games for any
group size.
Clue
A live-action challenge based on
the board game.
Astronomy
Learn about the night sky.
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short page
Facility

FACILITY
YMCA Cedar Glen is perched high on a hilltop
above a rolling valley covering
263 acres of hiking trails
and natural beauty.
Main Lodge
Start your visit in our reception lounge, where
your taste buds will be tantalized by the delicious
scents emanating from our kitchen. You’ll meet
us in the dining hall for breakfast, lunch and
dinner. Holding a social activity? Perhaps your
group would enjoy our fireside lounge. For small
boardroom meetings of less than 20 people,
we offer the cozy intimate Sunroom with its
panoramic view of rolling hills. Wireless Internet
access is available throughout the Main Lodge
so you can stay in touch with the office.
GAMES ROOM
On a break? Why not enjoy our games room,
featuring pool, ping pong, and foosball tables.
MEETING AND BREAKOUT ROOMS
The Lawson Auditorium is best suited for groups
for 50 to 150 participants. This room is equipped
with a sound system and audio visual equipment.
Breakout rooms are located in the Glenview
building on both the upper and lower floors that
are suitable for groups of 10 to 40 participants.
ACCOMMODATION
Our sleeping accommodations are quaint
wooden lodges located adjacent to the Main
Lodge. Each room has a private bathroom
with shower. Single and double accommodation
(including linen) is available for adults, and
double and triple accommodation is available
for children and youth.
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Contact
Orangeville
Palgrave
Barrie
Aurora Rd.
King Rd
YMCA Cedar Glen
is located between Bolton
and Nobleton approximately
37 km northwest of the
Newmarket
highway 400/401 interchange
(45 minutes from Toronto).
Visual Identity Guidelines
13300 11 th Concession
Schomberg, Ontario
L0G 1T0
11 th Concession Rd
Bolton
Nobleton
Major MacKenzie Dr
T. 905-859-9622
F. 905-859-6750
50
Kleinburg
Victoria
10
7
27
400
Yonge St
404
Kingston
YMCA of Greater Toronto
DVP
410
Brampton
427
Toronto
401
403
Lake Ontario
QEW

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