Georgia: Choosing Courage, Acceptance and Leadership One Step at a Time
Georgia remembers her very first moment at Muskoka Woods clearly. Sitting in the front seat of her mom’s car, arriving for the first time at age 13, she saw staff jumping and cheering at the Welcome Gate. They were laughing, excited, full of energy. Right away she thought, I cannot believe I get to spend my week here.
That feeling never left her.
From her first summer in Senior High to Crew to CEO, Muskoka Woods has become the place where Georgia has grown, stretched, and realized just how capable she is.
Learning to See Herself and the World Differently
Over time, camp helped Georgia get to know her own values and identity. Through Convo Café, Impact, and long talks in the cabin, she started to figure out what really matters to her. She learned the power of stepping outside her comfort zone, trying something new, and embracing parts of herself she used to hold back.
The pump track was one of those moments. Standing at the top of the biggest dip with her scooter in hand, she was scared. But her cabinmates and instructors were there cheering her on. She fell. She got up. And when she finally made it down, someone snapped a photo — her face wide with joy in the middle of the ride.
She still thinks about that feeling when something scary shows up in her life.
It became a reminder: courage does not always feel good in the beginning, but it feels incredible at the end.
The Impact of Being Accepted
A big part of Georgia’s journey has been her experience in the Exceptionalities program. As a guest with autism, she did not need a lot of extra support, but the program gave her something deeply important: reassurance, safety, and the freedom to enjoy camp fully. She felt accepted. Not different. Not singled out. Just welcomed.
She built real relationships with the exceptionalities staff, and some of them are still in her life today. That kind of acceptance lit a spark in her. She wants to give back by serving in the same program one day.
And she is already living that out.
During the CEO program, she was working at Stand Up Paddleboarding when she noticed a younger guest struggling. He happened to have the same exceptionalities counselor she once had. Georgia sat with him, talked with him out on her paddleboard, and stayed with him for two hours, missing other activities to make sure he got what he needed.
Later that week, he saw her again and his face lit up.
“That moment reminded me how accepted I felt at camp and how I can help other guests feel the same,” she says.
Growing Into Leadership
Georgia is shaping her world through leadership, at camp, at school, and in every space she steps into. She serves on student council as secretary. She leans into leadership through CEO. And she carries a positive spirit wherever she goes. To her, leadership is not about the big things. It is about what you do when no one is watching.
There was one definition in CEO that stuck with her:
A leader is someone who looks at their world and says, it does not have to be this way, and then does something about it.
That is how she is choosing to live.
Why She Believes Camp Matters
If someone asked Georgia why they should send their child to Muskoka Woods, she would tell them it is the best gift you can give.
Camp is a place where kids get to be fully themselves. A safe and joyful space where they can try new things, build confidence, and feel like they belong. It is where they meet people who will become lifelong friends.
“It’s like a little city,” she says. “No one’s judging you. Everyone just wants you to have the opportunities you want.”
She knows that because she has lived it. And now she is helping others experience it too.
