P4T Beginnings

What an AWESOME idea...... let's forget for a moment about traditional education, Kumon and Oxford Learning Centres, let's talk about what really creates success and happiness and invest our time in that.. oh yeah!! We know it's important to know how to multiply, do fractions and spell stuff, but it isn't everything, in fact at Power4Teens we believe there is so much more. True power, success and happiness comes from having a healthy self-esteem and confidence, it dictates how we treat and feel about ourselves and others, how we assert ourselves, view and act in the world, and take care of our basic needs and desires.

At Power4Teens we believe in an open mind, a strong body and a beautiful soul and all our lessons, teachings, interactions and activities reflect that belief. We create an environment where we celebrate the fact that we are all unique and respect others differing opinions and we seek to grow together as a community. We believe you need a good understanding of yourself (which can take an entire lifetime!) to know how to manage your emotions and relationships with others. It is only with practice that we achieve a healthy balance of mind, body and spirit and we achieve that mainly through silliness, fun & laughter.

So join us for fun, laughter, fitness, building self esteem, meeting great people and working out who you are, who you want to be, what you want to do and start living the life of that person NOW. 

Why wait to feel fab-YOU-lous!!

No-one could ever say Charlie doesn't know how to have a good time, if there's fun to be had, she'll be there. If she wants something she'll go and get it. She's enthusiastic with boundless energy and a positive outlook on life. She doesn't take life or herself too seriously but takes living very seriously.  

Charlie holds an honours degree from Bristol University (England) and tax qualifications from the UK and US. She worked many years as an international tax advisor for Deloitte & Touche and PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Realizing her interests and  skills could be put to better use she redirected her life path and retrained to become a registered psychotherapist (RP). She is also a personal trainer and fitness instructor with CAN-FIT-PRO and believes for optimal health is a combination of mind, body and spirit.

She is a dedicated athlete, adventure racer, soccer coach, wife and mother; but it is life's experiences, her rocky teenage years and profound understanding and connection with youth which led to her creating Power4Teens.

With a unique connection to youth and the positivity of this new generation combined with an understanding of the challenges, she provides the perfect place for them to discuss and explore their concerns. Whether it be a difficult relationship, effects of divorce, stress and anxiety, depression, eating disorders or sexuality, Charlie effectively leads youth to explore and understand themselves to help them discover the solution to their situation.  

Most people discover their true power in their 30's, 40's, 50's, sometimes never. Charlie's goal is to bring this knowledge and strength to teens so they can start living a life free from fear and full of confidence right NOW. Why wait to feel fabulous?

Franny has been working with children for over 15 years and has an extensive amount of knowledge and experience running her own leadership and workshops for youth! She is also an amazing mom to a very active and ambitious girl, Miracle.  

Fran will be our Leader in Training coordinator for week 3 and cannot wait to have an amazing week with our teens. Her energy is contagious, so watch out!!!! 

Alright everyone... this lovely lady is our official karaoke superstar. Loryn's positive and enthusiasm    

Loryn is a P4T veteran and has been volunteering with our groups for a few years. She is a beautiful ray of sunshine who has a contagious, positive energy. Loryn loves to empower and influence others and  truly leads by example. You cannot help but sing your heart out when Loryn is around!  

With a busy schedule, Loryn makes sure to spend as much time with her pup, Ralph, and does things that makes her happy!

Clara is another P4T veteran who has really grown into a phenomenal human. You would think she is shy as first but all you have you do is lock eye contact and will find yourself having endless conversation and laughs! 

Clara loves to move and dance and may teach some of our camps ballet, both flat and en pointe. In the winter, Clara is a Ski instructor with the younger kiddos. She has a contagious smile, very calm vibe and will keep us on schedule this summer with her fantastic organizational skills! 

Being a teenager and overcoming many obstacles in her life, her goals are to talk about resilience, friendships and stepping outside of your comfort zone once in a while at camp and how it can change our understanding and perspective about ourselves and in our lives. 

The question is always, "where's Jenifer?" If she's not with Power4Teens camps and retreats she can be found anywhere on the globe, surfing, teaching yoga and spreading her essence and calm beautiful energy. Always exploring and with a heart for adventure.

Jenifer's love of board sports started on the epic hills of Ontario on her snowboard and the busy streets of Toronto on her long board. On a snowboarding road-trip adventure in B.C. a faulty bungee cord caused her to loose her snowboard. Bummed about her loss but staying true to her zen-like nature her solution was to keep heading west to Tofino to give surfing a try, with rented gear and a few pointers, Jenifer jumped into the pacific and with a little patience, caught her first wave initiating her love of surfing. On the same trip she and her friends continued south to California, where they surfed with sea lions in San Francisco and great whites in a secret hippy surf town off Highway 1. Since then her surfing travels took her to Nova Scotia, Peru, Ecuador, and in 2009 Jenifer was introduced to Paddle boarding on Lake Ontario, she has surfed the lake waves, paddled from sunrise to sunset and discovered a deep connection to the water. 

Paddle boarding's balancing connection to body, breath and water compliments her Yoga roots and she looks forward to sharing early morning paddle and sun-salutations on Lake Ontario every summer.

Jenifer is a Certified Paddle Board Instructor through Paddle Canada, Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher, and CPR & First Aid Certified.       

Ruth is just incredible and when you meet her you'll know what we mean. She is an honours student and in her first year at Trent University  where she is President of her house and just won the Rowing award (among others). With a goal to become Canada's first black prime minister and with the attitude to get her there we are so happy to have her at P4T for another year. 

Whether it is dancing around the campfire or playing Big Booty she knows how to get kids, young & old(!) motivated and inspired. Her dance background, energy, compassion and positivity about life and her experience of life challenges give her the perfect balance between crazy, serious and fun that everyone can relate to and learn from.

Ruth has over ten years of summer camp experience. She took on the role of a leader in training at Camp Good News and then went on to become an overnight camp counsellor and cabin leader. Ruth has completed several leadership training programs with Toronto Parks and Recreation, Power 4 Teens, and Child Evangelism Fellowship Ontario (CEF). Ruth attended the Etobicoke School of the Arts for dance and she continues to share her dance knowledge with children in her community. 

Ruth loves being in the outdoors and working with youth. Ruth’s moto is “Life is Beautiful”.