Kosa Art's FOLK CAMP is a week-long community, arts,  & cultural immersive experience. It is an invitation to delve into the richness of Ukrainian and Eastern European folk arts & cultural traditions of craft, song, dance, music, food, and ceremony. This year, camp takes place from Monday, August 19 to Sunday, August 25 near Grafton, ON - the traditional and treaty territory of the Michi Saagiig (Mississauga) and Chippewa Nations.

In coming together, we are able to reconnect and co-create the ways of Village Life - to create beauty with our hands and voices, hear each others’ stories, tend to the garden, break bread with one another, dance in ecstatic joy and simply be together. It is a chance to learn, play and grow alongside one another in natural, communal ways. 

While Folk Camp is rooted in the rich and multi-sensory traditions of Ukraine and Eastern Europe, we welcome and celebrate people and traditions of all lineages. We honour that the ways of our ancestors are deeply woven across traditions - the connection to the land, creativity as birthright expression, food harvest and creation, and ceremony as sacred portal for collective nourishment. 

Come join us at Folk Camp and indulge the pleasure of learning a new craft, developing meaningful life-long friendships, resting in the serenity of forest, orchard and lake and being enlivened by the spontaneity of living life together. 

Village Culture & Life 

Village Life needs each of us, and our inherent gifts, in order to flourish and thrive. Part of Folk Camp’s magic is the ways in which each of our hearts and hands are offered in service to the well-being of the Village. Indeed “many hands make for light work” and it is through our collective generosity that ensures the well-being of our Village community. As such, everyone who attends camp is asked to contribute their time and effort to supporting the maintenance of Village Life through caring for each other and the land. 

Elements of the Village: 

Creative Arts Programming is a central aspect of Folk Camp. Each year there is a wide array of remarkable artists, artisans, and folk knowledge carriers from across Canada and the world, that come to share their craft. Workshops are week-long immersive sessions, offering participants the opportunity to deepen their understanding and skill around their craft of choice, such as - singing, dancing, instrumental music, handwork (crafts) of various kinds, gardening, and more. 

Community Time in the Village is when we come together as a whole community to nurture our connection as a whole. We gather in circle before each meal to meet and greet one another, share in song, offer stories and reflections on our experience and to ensure everyone is well-tended to and cared for. These are our precious in-between moments together. 

The Kitchen Hearth is the beating heart of camp - it is through our physical nourishment that we can engage and partake with the whole of our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits. We have great love and reverence for the land and the ways in which we are nourished and fed from her abundant generosity. The meals at Folk Camp are curated with deep love, intentionality and care. Our meal time is a chance to be fed in our connection and to honour the flavours, textures and palettes of our ancestors, as well as the farmers and land-tenders who make it all possible.

Ceremony & Celebration Time are interwoven into Village Life daily. While the sacred in life is revered in many small and precious moments throughout the day, we also come together in the evenings for ceremony and play - to attune to nature and elements, to drop into sound and dance as portal for transformation and to centre the gifts and talents of village members.  

Diversity & Inclusion is a central value of Village Life. We are a beautiful intergenerational community that values the gifts of each and every one in the circle - the vibrancy of the children to enliven our space, the youth with their keen eye and sense, the adults for their passion and expression, our beloved elders for their insight and wisdom. We also welcome the diversity of people across all class, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and identity realms. 

Village Values

Folk Camp is deeply rooted in the richness of traditional Ukrainian and East European cultures. Folk Camp was birthed through Kosa Kolektiv, a creative collaboration of women based out of Toronto, with mixed Ukrainian heritage, passionate about the exploration of Ukrainian heritage, culture & identity, creative community action and collective art-making.   

While camp is grounded in the traditions of Eastern Europe, it has attracted folks of many different lineages, welcoming the richness of diverse ancestral traditions and the artful practices that embody them. Kosa Kolektiv and Folk Camp deeply value the creative gifts and wisdom of all people. We also honour and uplift the ways in which the land is so deeply connected to our ancestors and supports our well-being and nourishment in community. 

It is from this place that we offer these Guiding Principles for our time with one another. 

Community Participation

The vibrancy, creativity and joy shared in our experience at camp is made possible through the participation of everyone at camp. It is through the presence, care and cooperation of each of us that our Village can be tended to, thrive and in return nourish us all. 

Folk Camp is coordinated and hosted by the Folk Camp Acorn Team - a vibrant group of artists and collaborations who hold a deep love, passion and commitment to bringing the vision of camp to life each year. While they play a critical role in supporting the functioning of the programming, hearth and wider camp logistics, it is truly the care, presence and effort of each and everyone one of us that enable camp life to unfold each day - by actively participating in the upkeep and tending of the land and our shared spaces. 

Clans 

To support and foster our participation at camp each member is placed in a clan upon arrival. The clans act as a “home group” or “camp family ” for the week. They are a place and space to build connection with other members of camp who are new to us and they support us being in service to the tending of camp land and spaces.

This year we are asking everyone to identify on their application an area of camp life where you feel willing and excited to put your energy toward as part of our collective responsibility toward camp. 

Areas to tend to include:

• Garden & Kitchen Composting 

• Main Hall 

• Bazaar & Auction 

• Evening Program 

• Ceremonial Tending 

• Fire Pit 

• Washroom Facilities

Each of the 7 clans will also be responsible for supporting the kitchen 1 day of the week at camp - as part of Diškoteka Duty! ;) This includes meal set up, clean up & dishwashing duties for breakfast, lunch & dinner of that day. 

Space & Accommodation

The land at Plast “Sich” camp is our home for the week, the main hall—our hearth, the fire pit —one of our ceremonial spaces and the fields, orchard, lakeside and in-between— our playground and sanctuary. 

There are 2 optional available around sleeping accommodations:

• Cabins: Each cabin has between 7-10 beds, most of which are bunk beds. 

• Tents: There is an abundance of grassy flat land available for pitching your own tent. There is a designated camping zone for families seeking quieter camping. 

More details will be shared in your Pre-Camp Info Package & please visit our FAQ page for more information around accommodation and other logistical details. 

Work Trade 

A work-trade position means you exchange your labour for camp tuition. There are a myriad of ways to give your time and energy to help Folk Camp run smoothly (eg. by assisting in the kitchen, with set up/clean up/take down, etc.)

More information will be shared around these options in early June ~ stay tuned! 

Or reach out to us at folkcamp.info@gmail.com

Camp Tuition

Adults- supporter $1100

Adults- non-members $1005

Adults- members- $904.50

Teens (13-18) $500

Kids (12-5)  $300

Application & Registration 

We invite you to submit an application to take part in the Folk Camp 2024 village.

This is the first step toward completed registration for camp. Click the button to apply:

We are so excited to co-create with you at Folk Camp this summer - to sing, play, rest, feast and be together in community.

Bringing your kids

Parents are responsible for their children at all times. More information on activities for kids can be found on the FAQ page. We offer a reduced rate for children because they will be accompanying their parents. Make sure to fill out the FOLK CAMP TUITION before you pay for your child's tuition.

CANCELLATIONS: If you must cancel your reservation, a $50 processing fee will be withheld from your refund, provided your written cancellation notice is received by our registrar prior to July 15th. If you cancel after July 15th, and more than 15 days before the start of camp, we will refund 50% of the amount you have paid.  

NO REFUNDS will be given for cancellations made 15 or fewer days before the start of camp.