Richmond Hill summer camp touting 'girl-friendly fun' draws ire of parents

The City of Richmond Hill, Ont., has changed the names of two of its summer camp programs after the activities outlined in its guidesincluding "extreme sports" for boys and "mini-manicures and mini-pedicures" for girlssparked criticism for being sexist.

• Gender-stereotyped Ottawa summer camps rebranded after criticism

The summer camp guide offered activities like roller-blading, dodgeball and lacrosse in the "Boyz Rule" program and options like cooking, baking and "a ton of girl-friendly fun" for the "Girlz Rock" program, which is also described as "every girl's dream camp."

Theprogram initially catered to boyshas beenrebrandedas "Extreme Sports" and theprogram geared toward girlsis now named "KidzRock," according to MeetaGandhi,the city'sspokesperson.

Parents criticized the summer camps for splitting up activitiesusing gender stereotypes.

"We've heard the concerns that were voiced and we recognize them," Mehta said. "Registration has always been open to girls and boys, but now the names have been changed to be more gender-neutral."

Tamara Breukelman, a Mississauga, Ont., parentwhose daughter plays hockey, saidshe was outraged when she saw the summer program online.

"They think only girls are interested in the activities that they have listed which I'll tell you my daughter has no interest in,"Breukelman said. "I know she is much more interested in what's categorized under'boys.'"

"Itangers me someone is saying something is only 'boy behaviour' or only 'girl behaviour,'" she added. "Who is to say a boy doesn't want to create a scrap book?"

Gandhi saidthe recreational and culture division of the city designs the programs. The city will be updatingits guide online and are informing parents who have already registered their kids of the change.

"The programs have been in place since 2008 and have always been very popular within the community," Gandhi said, adding that the city also hosts 80 other programs.

An Ottawa community centre also drew criticism recently from parents and one citycouncillorfor splitting activities by gender. Boys were beingofferedpaintball, video games and car maintenance, while girls were offered self-esteem workshops, fitness boot camp and lessons on "making healthy snacks."

That program has also beenrebranded.