Finding Light at YMCA Wanakita: Juliana’s Story

When Monica and her daughters arrived in Canada as refugees from Colombia, the world they knew disappeared overnight. The rhythm of their days, once filled with family and familiarity, was replaced by uncertainty and silence.

Monica, a psychologist back home who worked with Indigenous children in the mountains, suddenly found herself in a new country where she didn’t understand a word of English. Her oldest daughter was 17, confident, and bilingual. But her youngest, Juliana, only eight years old at the time, struggled deeply with the change.

Back in Colombia, Juliana had been a high-level rhythmic gymnast, training every day from dawn until evening. She was strong, focused, and full of joy, but when the family fled danger and resettled in Canada, her world shrank. Without her sport, her friends, or her language, the once-bright girl began to fade. Anxiety took hold. She isolated herself, refusing to go outside or engage with others. “She was a shell of herself,” her sister said.

Everything changed the day her sister sent an email to YMCA Wanakita.

She knew about YMCA summer camps because of a partnership between a Y camp and her school back in Colombia. While she was too old to attend at the time, but now living in Canada and seeing her sister struggling sparked the idea.

“I didn’t even tell my mom at first,” she recalled. “I just said, ‘This is our situation. My sister used to be a high-level athlete, but now she’s anxious and withdrawn. My mom is learning English, and we’re still finding our footing. I think camp could help her.’”

That message reached the right person. Thanks to the YMCA’s financial assistance program, Juliana received a full sponsorship to attend YMCA Wanakita’s overnight camp.

Monica still remembers her disbelief. “I said, ‘Really? They’re going to help us?’ I couldn’t imagine why someone would do that for us,” she said. “But they did, and it changed everything.”

At first, Juliana didn’t want to go. The thought of being away from her family in an unfamiliar place terrified her. But when she returned home after her first summer at Wanakita, her eyes were bright again. “She told me, ‘That was the best experience of my life. I want to go back,’" Monica said.

Camp became more than a summer escape—it became a lifeline.

At Wanakita, Juliana rediscovered her confidence. She climbed, paddled, sang, and learned the power of teamwork. She built friendships that lasted beyond camp. Months after camp ended, she got a handwritten birthday card from her counsellors, a small act that meant the world. “She keeps that card pinned up in her room,” Monica said. “She treasures it. It’s a reminder that she belongs.”

Through camp, Juliana learned to lead with kindness and courage. She started playing volleyball, focusing on healthy habits, and setting goals for her future. “She says she wants to be a counselor,” Monica said proudly. “She wants to help others the way the YMCA helped her.”

For Monica, the ripple effects have been profound. With encouragement from her daughters, she returned to her vocation, now working as a teaching assistant with children with special needs. “I used to help children with autism back home,” she said. “Now that I’ve experienced what it’s like to not be able to communicate, I understand them in a new way. My work and my life have more meaning.”

Today, four years after arriving in Canada, the family feels rooted again. “The people here have been so kind,” Monica said. “When I couldn’t speak English, they told me, ‘You can do it. You are strong.’ And they were right.”

Looking back, Monica can’t imagine what their lives would look like without Wanakita. “If we didn’t have that help,” she said quietly, “we would have a different story today. The YMCA didn’t just give us camp, they gave us hope.”

Through the YMCA, Juliana found a place where she could shine again; where her light, once dimmed by fear and change, could blaze brightly. Her journey is proof of what happens when we believe in each other, when we lift one another up, and when we ignite the potential that already burns within.

Because at YMCA Wanakita, we shine brighter—together.

#YMCACamps #GreaterTogether #YSavesLives #IgnitePotential