Connected, Present, Empowered: Camp HOBY 2025
- Ben Fisher
- Jun 16
- 3 min read
Event Recap: HOBY Western Ontario 3-Day Seminar 2025
Report from Western Ontario Representative – Ben Fisher
This year’s HOBY Western Ontario Seminar – known lovingly as Camp HOBY – was an energizing, empowering, and unforgettable experience. With the theme “Connections and Meaningful Presence,” the weekend focused on building personal connections and emotional intelligence, nurturing responsible tech habits, deepening self-awareness, and cultivating inclusive, authentic leadership.
By the Numbers
85 Ambassadors empowered
30 Committee members working year-round to deliver the program
18 Facilitators (9 ARs and 9 JGLs/SGLs)
3 Keynote speakers from our HOBY Alumni community
1 unforgettable Leadership for Service project with 25+ volunteers from ComeTogether CK
Powerful Guest Speakers
We were thrilled to welcome a few new faces to our keynote lineup:
Pastor Sandie Thomas inspired the group with her energizing talk on levelling up your leadership and embracing your unique leadership style.
Ashley Rowe, 2015 alum, delivered a dynamic session on how to Find Your Fire – a huge hit as Ashley continues to grow her public speaking career.
Aurora Jacobi, 2021 alum, returned to share her moving story of volunteering at Ronald McDonald House, showing how small acts of service ripple through families and communities.
Leadership for Service: ComeTogether CK
In partnership with ComeTogether CK, this year’s service project brought creativity and compassion together. With 25 volunteers leading hands-on activities like sign making, card writing, orange shirt pin creation, beading, cornhole board building, and the Medicine Wheel, participants were invited to connect service with story. It was one of our most meaningful and well-received projects to date.
DEI and Alumni Engagement
Our DEI panels brought together new and returning voices – including alumni and committee members – who shared diverse experiences and perspectives. These sessions continue to reinforce our commitment to inclusion and identity-informed leadership.
We also celebrated the return of our Alumni Association and CLeW programs, expanding opportunities for connection and leadership growth beyond the seminar weekend. Momentum is building with new collaborations, including support from our friends at COLS and the Central Ontario Optimists!
Supporting the Future: WLC Scholarships & Passion Projects
In response to evolving travel safety concerns, we re-evaluated our U.S. travel funding. This year, we prioritized more individual $1,000 WLC scholarships, empowering families to make the best choice for themselves.
We also piloted a new initiative: Passion Project support. This offers alumni the chance to bring meaningful change to their home communities with mentorship and financial support from HOBY. A new Alumni/Committee position is in development to oversee and guide these projects responsibly and intentionally.
Evaluation & Impact
Our Evaluations Team worked diligently to gather data and reflections from both Ambassadors and Volunteers. The insights gained are already shaping our thinking for future programming – highlighting where we’re excelling and offering areas for continued growth. We’re proud to report overwhelmingly positive results, with feedback confirming the impact we hoped for – and uncovering new outcomes we hadn’t yet imagined.
Thank you to everyone who made HOBY WO 2025 a success. From planning to programming to passionate participation – it takes a village, and we are so grateful for each of you.
Leaders are built here. And we can’t wait to see how these young leaders shape their communities next.
Yorumlar