Watermelon Sessions is a camp designed for families with neurodivergent children and teens. Join us at Naramata Centre, where you and your kids will have a blast! You will meet other like-minded families, share your experiences, and support each other. Your kids will make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun. We have a variety of programs and activities for everyone, including an alpaca farm trip, peach/cherry picking field trips, a beach party, art classes, and gardening. We have visual support for everyone and knowledgeable staff to ensure smooth transitions and fun experiences.

Watermelon Sessions promises more than just a camp. It’s a community of acceptance, inclusion, and joy.

The ratio of leaders to participants is 1 to 4 – if you require individual support, please contact us to discuss the details.

Join us on the Columbia Lawn for live music

Lonnie Delisle is a choral composer, the Artistic Director of the award-nominated Universal Gospel Choir, the Musician in Residence at Vancouver School of Theology and an Arranger/Curator for Cypress Choral Music. Lonnie enjoys taking on various music directing and theatrical projects. He has been the music director for two productions with the Children Theatre of Richmond, he spent four seasons as music director for the Jewish Community Centre’s “Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance!” musical theatre summer program, and in 2019 Lonnie received a Jesse award nomination for “Outstanding Choir Direction” for his work in Pacific Theatre’s “The Christians.” Lonnie is thrilled to be back for his 4th summer as Music Lead at Naramata Centre, and he’s very excited to experience his first Music Week as the director of the Choral Program.

Join us for Music week! Sing, dance, move and play! Come to enjoy age and stage-appropriate choral music, and all kinds of other activities, that focus on building our community, sharing our gifts, and strengthening our faith. Friday evening’s concert celebration is always a highlight of the week, when we share our week’s learnings.

It’s time to lift every voice!

Join us on the Columbia Lawn for live music

Vancouver Island singer-songwriter Sylvia Humble has returned to the stage with a passion after shelving her dream for 20 years to focus on career and family. Sparked by a health crisis, she left her government cubicle, picked up her ukulele, and discovered that her purpose in life is to help others liberate their voice and sing in harmony, imperfectly! Sylvia now delights audiences with her pure, heartfelt vocals and ukulele strumming, and is known for getting audiences singing. Her inspirations range from Joni Mitchell to Coco Love Alcorn, and her original songs are uplifting and personal.

In 2021, Sylvia founded a fun and informal community choir called Sing Again, where she teaches harmony singing by ear, that has grown to serve Nanaimo, Nanoose Bay, and Parksville.  She also leads community singing events, flash mobs, and vocal workshops and concerts with other songwriters. 

Check out Sylvia’s work at www.youtube.com/@sylviahumblemusic

Sailing is a life changing experience!

You will learn how to read the winds, feel the waves, and guide a large sailing yacht into the open waters of Okanagan Lake. We provide hands-on experience with ample opportunities over four hours to explore the movement and decisions that accompany the journey.

And it is unbelievably beautiful! The scenery is spectacular, from the many developed wineries on The Naramata Bench to the wild natural areas and parks. Photographers will love it!

The lake is warm and clean. You will love it when we anchor up for a swim or paddle board. It is the perfect experience to spend a day outdoors to create family memories or incredible encounters with friends.

We offer more than just sailing too! Explore how to better navigate your life. Learn how to better respond to winds of change. We bring together the skills of sailing and the art of wisdom: ‘sailing with heart’. It is a mix of sunshine, laughter, friendship and also a meaningful encounter.

What’s included:

• Paddleboards

• PFDs and safety equipment

• Sparkling water

• Fridge or cooler space for your snacks, drinks

Join us for Gospel Choir week! Lonnie Delisle is the artistic director of Universal Gospel Choir (UGC), Vancouver’s longest running community gospel choir. UGC pairs beautiful music with powerful messages of justice and inclusion, and represents a broad spectrum of cultural and faith journeys.

Join Lonnie for a week of singing that weaves together reflective dialogue on current events, powerful messages of justice and inclusion, meaningful lyrics, and beautiful music, leaving you feeling hopeful and inspired. Celebrate our diversity and be part of a community and musical experience that is accessible to all people from all walks of life.

Photo credit: Universal Gospel Choir

Join us on the Columbia Lawn for live music

 rEvolve is a group of conscientious musicians offering an innovative experience which integrates music, guided movement, inspiring poetry, and an inclusive & intergenerational context to nurture Heart, Body, Spirit, and connection to Earth and Ecology. Since 2003 rEvolve has been sought as community builders, entertainers, motivators, and musical animators at numerous large and small conferences and events across Canada. Their concerts have attracted enthusiastic crowds, while their energy and message continues to reach an ever-expanding audience through their recordings and songbooks. rEvolve is impacting communities of all ages through music, movement, celebration and inspiration. With a focus on composing original works, rEvolve's Rock, Folk, and World Music influenced repertoire is stylistically diverse. They frequently revel in beautiful A Cappella vocals, African rhythm & chant, and anything that "grooves".

Sailing is a life changing experience!

You will learn how to read the winds, feel the waves, and guide a large sailing yacht into the open waters of Okanagan Lake. We provide hands-on experience with ample opportunities over four hours to explore the movement and decisions that accompany the journey.

And it is unbelievably beautiful! The scenery is spectacular, from the many developed wineries on The Naramata Bench to the wild natural areas and parks. Photographers will love it!

The lake is warm and clean. You will love it when we anchor up for a swim or paddle board. It is the perfect experience to spend a day outdoors to create family memories or incredible encounters with friends.

We offer more than just sailing too! Explore how to better navigate your life. Learn how to better respond to winds of change. We bring together the skills of sailing and the art of wisdom: ‘sailing with heart’. It is a mix of sunshine, laughter, friendship and also a meaningful encounter.

What’s included:

• Paddleboards

• PFDs and safety equipment

• Sparkling water

• Fridge or cooler space for your snacks, drinks

Pictures and images can communicate profound truths about our lives. SoulCollage® is an intuitive collage process for individuals and groups. If you can cut and you can paste, you can do SoulCollage®.

Join with others in this engaging, hands-on workshop to create your own SoulCollage® cards. Then use your cards to access your own inner wisdom by reading your cards individually or in groups. Sharing SoulCollage® cards is an enjoyable, enriching way to learn about yourself, deepen intimacy and strengthen community.

Nan and Allison are planning on offering two options each day of the course – one option focused on introducing the process and practice, and a second option for people who are already experienced to deepen SoulCollage® practice. Join us if you are curious, just beginning, or are craving more!

Join us on the Columbia Lawn for live music

 rEvolve is a group of conscientious musicians offering an innovative experience which integrates music, guided movement, inspiring poetry, and an inclusive & intergenerational context to nurture Heart, Body, Spirit, and connection to Earth and Ecology. Since 2003 rEvolve has been sought as community builders, entertainers, motivators, and musical animators at numerous large and small conferences and events across Canada. Their concerts have attracted enthusiastic crowds, while their energy and message continues to reach an ever-expanding audience through their recordings and songbooks. rEvolve is impacting communities of all ages through music, movement, celebration and inspiration. With a focus on composing original works, rEvolve's Rock, Folk, and World Music influenced repertoire is stylistically diverse. They frequently revel in beautiful A Cappella vocals, African rhythm & chant, and anything that "grooves".

Sailing is a life changing experience!

You will learn how to read the winds, feel the waves, and guide a large sailing yacht into the open waters of Okanagan Lake. We provide hands-on experience with ample opportunities over four hours to explore the movement and decisions that accompany the journey.

And it is unbelievably beautiful! The scenery is spectacular, from the many developed wineries on The Naramata Bench to the wild natural areas and parks. Photographers will love it!

The lake is warm and clean. You will love it when we anchor up for a swim or paddle board. It is the perfect experience to spend a day outdoors to create family memories or incredible encounters with friends.

We offer more than just sailing too! Explore how to better navigate your life. Learn how to better respond to winds of change. We bring together the skills of sailing and the art of wisdom: ‘sailing with heart’. It is a mix of sunshine, laughter, friendship and also a meaningful encounter.

What’s included:

• Paddleboards

• PFDs and safety equipment

• Sparkling water

• Fridge or cooler space for your snacks, drinks

Join us for Poetry week! Poetry is no short form for sending messages; it’s a language ‘entire unto itself’. We might say that it’s the language of mystery, the language for expressing the inexpressible. It seems as though there is a moment in life when a person is ready to immerse in such a language. That might come in childhood, but frequently it’s later in life when there is a readiness for this other way of speaking and seeing how things are. Come for these five mornings (it takes that kind of time) and be part of a five-morning community of poetry explorers. In the safety of such a group, we will read poetry, feel its effect, and speak together about all that it evokes in us and, perhaps, even write some. Are you ready?

Tim Scorer is a spiritual director, facilitator, retreat leader, and educator who has been shaping small group learning experiences for the past 40 years at Naramata Centre and in other settings of spiritual deepening.

Join us on the Columbia Lawn for live music

Yanti Sharples is a wise soul with a powerful love for life whose lifelong aspiration has been to build strength, hope and community through the shared human experience of music. Through writing, singing, playing instruments, and teaching, Yanti shares her unique frequency with her fans and students. Yanti believes that the vibrations we emit from our bodies are the best medicine for what ails us. She aims to keep encouraging positive change in her environment by leading by example, as she is driven to make a difference in the world.

For two decades, Yanti  has performed locally in many different combos and venues.  From jazz standards at weddings or retirement homes to rock ballads for fundraisers, either live or karaoke, Yanti has a diverse range of vocal talents. Yanti plays the ukulele, cello and shaker.

Sailing is a life changing experience!

You will learn how to read the winds, feel the waves, and guide a large sailing yacht into the open waters of Okanagan Lake. We provide hands-on experience with ample opportunities over four hours to explore the movement and decisions that accompany the journey.

And it is unbelievably beautiful! The scenery is spectacular, from the many developed wineries on The Naramata Bench to the wild natural areas and parks. Photographers will love it!

The lake is warm and clean. You will love it when we anchor up for a swim or paddle board. It is the perfect experience to spend a day outdoors to create family memories or incredible encounters with friends.

We offer more than just sailing too! Explore how to better navigate your life. Learn how to better respond to winds of change. We bring together the skills of sailing and the art of wisdom: ‘sailing with heart’. It is a mix of sunshine, laughter, friendship and also a meaningful encounter.

What’s included:

• Paddleboards

• PFDs and safety equipment

• Sparkling water

• Fridge or cooler space for your snacks, drinks

Watercolour is a wonderful medium as it allows you to use it for quick sketches, vignettes or serious studio paintings. This course will cover all the aspects of painting in this medium, from reference photography to different painting techniques, composition & design to colour choices and theory. Karin welcomes all levels of painters eager to explore, improve and perfect their craft. Through demonstrations, talks and constructive critiques, Karin will help participants to realize their own vision.

Join us on on the Columbia Lawn for live music

Kat Goheen is so pleased to return to Naramata this summer in musical leadership! She brings high energy to musical offerings of all ages and hopes to enhance your week at Naramata through singing, movement, and rest brought by music. She is both classically trained in voice and strings, and is also an improvisational and collaborative musician through her Celtic band, The Seabillys. She enjoys creating music and poetry and hopes that being in this beautiful space will inspire everyone’s creativity! Along with musical expression, she is a minister and spiritual director, and just walked the Camino de Santiago.

Join us for Epicurean Week! Each day of this program will be a module dedicated to understanding your palate, then applying your new-found knowledge!

1. Introduction to How Your Senses Work: Better understand how your smell and taste interact with your brain. Answer questions such as why your senses are unique, why you love wine at the winery and then no longer get the same level of enjoyment at home. Go through a series of smelling and tasting exercises to better understand what impacts your sensory experience. The goal is to start focusing on your senses so you can get more out of your week of culinary experiences.

2. Sparkling Wine: Discover the four major production methods for sparkling wines, where they are made, key information that can be found on the label, and touch on pairing sparkling wine with food. Practicing techniques presented in the Introduction course, taste local examples of these styles and compare the differences. The goal is to understand what to expect from the different styles.

3. Wine & Cheese: Discover the major concepts of wine and food pairing. Taste through a series of wines, identifying key characteristics. Then, after a discussion of different types of cheese styles, explore which pairings work better and others and discuss the reasons. The goal of this course is to apply the basic concepts of wine and food pairing so that they can easily be remembered for more complicated pairings.

4. Sensory Seminar with the Naramata Inn (details forthcoming!)

5. Farm Tour & Tasting at Elephant Island Orchard Wines

Join us on on the Columbia Lawn for live music

This week, we’re joined by Heidi McCurdy, an award-winning singer/songwriter, sound healer, holistic voice coach, and Expressive Arts Therapist. She is passionate about holding space for others to explore their voices and discover the magic, mystery, and medicine of Music.

As a singer, Heidi is known for her warm, soulful voice, and her ability to tune into the music of the moment. Her original songs have received awards and been featured on TV and national radio, and she has performed at jazz, wine and world music festivals and venues throughout Canada and Europe.

When teaching singing, sound healing, or expressive arts, Heidi creates a sacred space for expression with her singing bowls, shruti box, frame drum, and vocal looper. Students appreciate the safety she creates in her groups which emphasize self-compassion and exploration in a “mistake-free zone.”

Having cultivated her own intimate relationship with the Muse, Heidi is a believer in the healing power of Music, and the beautiful ways it connects us more deeply with ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

She loves to guide others to free their authentic voice and creativity, and her online singing workshops have drawn hundreds of participants from around the world. In all of her music and facilitation, Heidi aims to live in service to the Muse, and to the re-wilding of our creative souls.

www.heidimccurdy.com

Wild Church is a movement of people across the world who are deepening their relationship with the Holy by connecting more deeply with the natural world.  In this new expression of church, Mystery is experienced, not explained. Creation holds the wisdom of Creator, and Wild Church invites us to pause and pay attention with all our senses, while encouraging us to begin to see the land and her more than human occupants as neighbours, and to help change the perspective from “this land belongs to us” to “we belong with this land.” 

Come, dance in the forest and play in the field with Wild Church this summer!

But ask the animals and they will teach you; the birds of the air and they will tell you;
ask the plants of the earth and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you… (Job 12:7-8)

Join us as we seek the wisdom of these more than human teachers, learning to pay attention to the wisdom of Creator planted all around us.

Our time together will include a time of centering, readings from a variety of authors, and a time for quiet reflection on the land, followed by a time of sharing our experiences with one another. We will celebrate the interconnectedness of all life, recognize the holiness in our more than human neighbours, and seek to connect more deeply with Great Mystery.

Watermelon Sessions is a camp designed for families with neurodivergent children and teens. Join us at Naramata Centre, where you and your kids will have a blast! You will meet other like-minded families, share your experiences, and support each other. Your kids will make new friends, learn new skills, and have fun. We have a variety of programs and activities for everyone, including an alpaca farm trip, peach/cherry picking field trips, a beach party, art classes, and gardening. We have visual support for everyone and knowledgeable staff to ensure smooth transitions and fun experiences.

Watermelon Sessions promises more than just a camp. It’s a community of acceptance, inclusion, and joy.

The ratio of leaders to participants is 1 to 4 – if you require individual support, please contact us to discuss the details.

An authentic voice from the Syilx Okanagan 

If you’re on a  journey towards learning then join us as Anona shares her own family story about Indian Residential School (IRS). IRS were government-funded, church-run facilities where Indigenous children had to go to “Kill the Indian in the Child”, as stated by the Canadian government. A form of assimilation and cultural genocide, it was mandatory for all Indigenous children to attend. If parents tried to keep their children out of these schools, they were arrested and the children were taken anyway. While at these schools, students were forbidden to speak their language, and practice their culture, were segregated from their siblings, neglected and suffered all forms of abuse. In fact, some children never made it home because they died there. Participants can expect to feel anger and sadness when learning about Canada’s shameful history. We will have a check-in at the end of this presentation to take care of any strong feelings.

This program is supported by the United Church of Canada’s Justice and Reconciliation Fund 

Examine spirituality through a new lens.

This course is as much about the use of film to study religion as it is about the use of religion to study film. Through different critical approaches, this program will examine how religion, as variously defined, pervades modern film, and how one may deepen one’s own spirituality through engaging in dialogue with it. Among the films to be discussed are Blinded by the Light, The Fisher King, Chinatown, and A Serious Man.

Participants are encouraged to watch the films before the weekly session. Films are outlined below in the schedule. All films are available on various streaming platforms. We will also discuss films that are important to participants in our program so the schedule below will leave space for flexibility.

Participants in this series can look forward to:

• Discussion of film from both religious studies and theological perspectives. This will help you to broaden your understanding of the term “religious” and then to realize its significant role in film plot, narrative, and imagery; and help to deepen your own spirituality.

• In light of the contemporary situation, we will look at themes of Grief/Loss, Aging/ Legacy, The Environment and Politics/Government

Tuesday, June 4th

Theme: Grief/ Loss
The Fisher King (1991, Terry Gilliam)
The Apostle (1997, Robert Duvall)
Of Gods and Men (2010, Xavier Beauvois)

Tuesday, June 11th

Theme: Aging/ Legacy
Lost in Translation (2003, Sofia Coppola)
A Serious Man (2009, Ethan and Joel Coen)

Tuesday, June 18th

Theme: The Environment
Before the Flood (2016, Fisher Stevens)
Chinatown (1974, Roman Polanski)

Tuesday, June 25th

Theme: Politics/ Government
Blindspotting (2018, Carlos Estrada)
Blinded by the Light (2019, Gurinder Chadha)

Join Karin for this month-long series and experience the joy of creating!

If you’re needing a little relaxation from the comfort of your own home, then please join Karin for these four mornings of watercolour. Art is meditative, known to heal and considered sacred in many ways.  By quieting yourself and spending time in an intuitive, mindful, relaxing and rewarding state, you can’t help but feel at ease and at peace.  It’s a healthy escape and a welcome reprieve. And if we can have a bit of fun along the way that’s also good for mind, body and spirit. of

This month we’re going to explore several different ways to depict beautiful and bright blooms and blossoms with some useful and inspiring techniques. Let’s reveal in the joy of summer flowers!

June 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 2024