ICC 2008 Canada

LETTER FROM VALERY KOSTIN, CHAIR, INTERNATIONAL CAMPING FELLOWSHIP STEERING COMMITTEE

Dear Friends,

The 8th International Camping Congress has become history. About 600 participants from more than 20 countries returned home with a strong belief in the camping movement. We applaud the ICC Steering Committee, Association des camps du Québec and the Canadian Camping Association for the titanic job they did to arrange this historic Congress on such a high professional level. On behalf of the ICF Steering Committee, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the Canadian and international participants for their efforts to make this event unforgettable.  Merci beaucoup and thank you very much!

During the four days of the Congress and pre- and post-camp tours, we were united even more.  Workshops and panel discussions, general sessions and friendly talks helped us to understand that we can find solutions, that we can solve our problems, and that we can survive if we are together. Remember the phrase from one of our speakers? “Impossible — it is only a word!”  With such a great team of Congress attendees we can make it possible!  We will make it possible to open new camps and to make the old ones better.  We will make it possible to bring more campers to the camps. We will give them a chance to spend great sessions in the camps in all over the world in a healthy outdoor environment.

Twenty years ago no one would have believed that we would have 20 national camping associations. Twenty years ago, we had only begun international exchanges with camp professionals, camp staff and campers. Since that time we have increased that number and now count thousand and thousand of participants. Camps open the borders between countries and the camp experience helps us to better understand each other.

Valery Kostin – Chair, International Camping Fellowship Steering Committee