Shouting affirmations into the mountains solidified a week of learning and growing for Oak Bay teen Taylor Macdonald.
Now 17, in the summer of 2021 she embarked on a seven-day camp called Girl in the Wild – a free confidence-building camp in wild spaces for teens who identify as girls or non-binary.
In a week filled with exercises focused on mental health, the bookending of notebook work stands out for the Grade 11 student at St. Michaels University School.
Day one included hiking into camp in the Kootenay mountains all dressed in issued gear – putting them all on the same footing. They were also issued a notebook, and that first night told to “write down everything you hate about yourself,” Macdonald recalled.
Then they read them aloud.
On the last night, each girl wrote down what they liked about each other person in the group.
Those too were read aloud. Each girl stood at the centre of a circle and repeated the compliments thrown at them – echoing them into nature.
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“It’s building people up to go out in the world with a more confident mindset of themselves … to accept and embrace ourself and be supportive of others,” she said.
Macdonald struggled with depression and anxiety in middle school and the start of high school. When her mom discovered Girl in the Wild online, it was a mere hours to the application deadline. The teen buckled down in her room to write her story.
“I poured my heart out for two hours,” she said.
Macdondald was also with her mom – they’d just finished a workout rocking to Taylor Swift tunes – when the news arrived she was among the eight assigned to her age group for the summer of 2021. “My mom cried … I was just really excited. It felt very validating,” Macdonald said.
She was on a path to wellness when camp began and learned both valuable tools, and a lot about herself. It’s one reason Macdonald aims to raise awareness for her peers. She also did a fundraising walk, spending six hours lapping up and down Beach Drive on a sunny weekend day with a goal to raise $2,500 – the cost to send one person to camp. Three girls attending this year saw her campaign online and came to join her. Naturally they had questions – primarily about the vibe of the camp.
“It’s a supportive, welcoming environment (and) you want to spread that energy,” Macdonald said. It’s a place to build relationships and she remains in touch with some of the girls from two years ago.
Learn more about camp at girlinthewild.ca donate to Macdonald’s campaign to send girls to camp at gofundme.com/f/oak-bay-walkathon-for-girl-in-the-wild.