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By Victor Kaisar

Campout To End Youth Homelessness

Annual Campout to End Youth Homelessness in Kamloops scheduled for December 5

Nov 4, 2025 | 7:00 AM

KAMLOOPS — The ninth edition of A Way Home Kamloops’ Campout to End Youth Homelessness will take place this Dec. 5 at McDonald Park and organizers are hoping to raise enough money to buy a new van.

The annual event sees campers spend a night outside in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags, while hearing stories from young people with lived expertise to directly learn what homelessness is like in Kamloops.

The onset of COVID-19 led to a virtual component being added to the campout and that has continued through the years in a bid to make the event more accessible to people who otherwise aren’t able to join in-person.

In addition to shining the light on youth homelessness, the event is also a fundraiser for A Way Home Kamloops. Last year’s edition raised $68,000

“If you look at the numbers of homelessness in Kamloops, the two counts in 2024 and 2023 — and that goes the same right across the province — but 50 per cent of people said they first experienced homelessness as a youth,” longtime camper and former Kamloops councillor Tina Lange said on CFJC Midday.

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“I personally can’t do a whole lot about how many homeless people are on the street, but what I can do is maybe help some young people find their way through A Way Home so that they don’t end up on the street.”

As part of this year’s campout event, A Way Home Kamloops is looking to raise $100,000 to buy a van to transport clients to events and activities in and around the Kamloops area.

“One key destination will be making sure youth get to spend time outdoors and on the land,” said A Way Home Kamloops Executive Director Tangie Genshorek. “In particular, we want to be able to take Indigenous and Metis youth to culturally significant events and locations.”

The van will also be used to move people and furniture between housing locations in the Kamloops area.

“It’s going to be a busy van,” Genshorek added.

This year’s campout is the first since the new Katherine’s Place building opened its doors on Tranquille Road. Named after the late Katherine McParland, who helped start the event in 2017, it will provide homes for 39 at-risk youth in Kamloops.

A delegation from A Way Home Kamloops will be going before Tuesday’s (Nov. 4) city council meeting to spread the word about the upcoming campout. They’re also expected to have an update on that new building and the organization itself.

More information about the 2025 Campout to End Youth Homelessness can be found here.