August 10, 2026
Summer is a quieter time in Wilfrid Laurier University’s lecture halls and research labs, but prime season for community use of Laurier facilities.
From children attending summer camps to provincial athletes staying in campus residences, visitors experience first-hand the spaces and people that make Laurier such a vibrant place. The season offers tangible examples of the impact Laurier makes in its home communities.
With sports, games, crafts, swimming, rock climbing and more, Laurier student camp counsellors bring Golden Hawk joy to the summer in Brantford and Waterloo.
At the Laurier Brantford YMCA, Laurier student counsellors are a key part of the team that welcomes more than 100 campers ages six to 12 each week, all summer long. Themed activities, visits to Brant Conservation Area and daily swimming are all part of the fun.
On the Waterloo campus, the Athletic Complex and Ansley Alumni Field are filled with the energy of 1,300 campers ages five to 16.
Camps are led by enthusiastic Laurier students, varsity teams and student-athletes who keep campers active and help develop skills at a variety of activity, sport and leadership camps.
During the school year, Laurier student employees and volunteers from the Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities visit elementary schools in Waterloo Region, Brantford and Six Nations of the Grand River to get kids moving and introduce healthy habits. A total of 770 children and youth in 14 different locations benefited from these programs in 2025.
The Sun Life Centre, an initiative of Laurier’s Kinesiology and Physical Education department, aims to improve physical and mental health in local communities through free physical activity programs while conducting research on healthy living.
Over the spring and summer, the focus changes to soccer and hockey. In May and June, the centre offered Soccer Galore, a six-week program that saw 65 youth ages nine to 12 learn the fundamentals of the game from enthusiastic Laurier student coaches. Next up is MLSE House of Hockey presented by the Sun Life Centre, a ball hockey league that runs in July and August and draws about 85 participants, many of whom have never played on a team or even picked up a hockey stick before.
Inclusion and camaraderie are core to the programs, with co-ed, girls-only, and adapted programs for neurodivergent youth and those living with disabilities.
Learn more and register for Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities programs.
For three weeks in July, nearly 100 children between the ages of four and 12 come to Laurier’s Waterloo campus for a summer camp with a twist.
At BrainWorx, run in partnership with Laurier’s Psychology and Kinesiology departments, campers enjoy activities including crafts, Lego, swimming and outdoor games. They also have the chance to participate in research studies on various aspects of child development, including memory, language and sound.
BrainWorx welcomes both neurotypical and neurodivergent children and creates an inclusive experience where all campers’ needs are met.
Laurier welcomed athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and spectators to its Waterloo campus July 30 to Aug. 2 for the 2026 Ontario Summer Games.
More than 4,200 youth aged 12 to 18 from across Ontario competed in 23 sports at venues throughout Waterloo Region. Laurier hosted wushu, field lacrosse and flag football events at its athletic facilities and sports fields. Student residences served as the Athletes’ Village.
In June and July, the Maureen Forrester Recital Hall on Laurier’s Waterloo campus was home to a series of eight free public chamber music performances featuring Canada’s most talented young musicians. The big LITTLE Concert Series, featuring the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, was part of an intensive summer residency hosted by the Faculty of Music before the orchestra embarked on its national tour.
While on campus, the musicians took part in rehearsals, master classes and professional development workshops. The orchestra opened one of its last full rehearsals to the community, offering a unique opportunity for the public to experience the full ensemble in an intimate setting.
The National Youth Orchestra of Canada (NYO Canada) is a full-scholarship training program for Canada’s most promising classical musicians aged 16 to 28.
Tucked behind the Northdale building on Laurier’s Waterloo campus is a 14,000-square-foot garden where members of the community can grow their own food. Forty plots are made available in the spring free of charge to the Laurier and broader communities.
One area is designated as an Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Medicine garden, overseen by Laurier’s Indigenous Student Centre. The area includes a Three Sisters garden, ceremonial medicine garden and strawberry plants – traditional foods and medicines that support cultural learning and food security.
“The Northdale Community Garden is a vibrant space where Laurier students, staff and the broader community can grow their own green space and connect with nature,” says Arrianna Carello, student staff member at Laurier’s Indigenous Student Centre. “More than just gardening, it fosters a strong sense of community where people learn from and care for one another.”
