● About
Havenhill
Most camps teach kids how to follow the rules—at Bennie, we invite them to break them. Our days are built around small classes with working artists, cozy cabins that feel like home, and plenty of space to experiment, make a mess, and try again. It’s this mix of guidance and freedom that makes Camp Bennie different—and why campers leave buzzing with ideas, friendships, and the guts to keep creating.
● Our Mission & Philosophy
Our Principles
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Creativity Over Perfection
We celebrate bold ideas, happy accidents, and the magic that happens when things don’t go as planned.
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Making Made Accessible
We believe the arts should be available to every child, with financial aid and support making camp more inclusive.
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Artists at the Helm
Campers learn directly from practicing artists who model curiosity, discipline, and a lifelong creative practice.
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Process Over Product
We emphasize exploration and making over polished results, helping campers see value in the work itself.
● Our Story
The history
In 1978 Jesse and Jackie James, with their four children, Kim, Todd, Lisa and Tyler, bought the farm on Old Scugog Road in Blackstock, Ontario. They opened James Stables, a standardbred horse farm, which operated until 2024 when Jesse passed away.
Lisa and her husband Craig bought the farm in 2025. Their son Owen and Jesse had a close connection and they kneLisa had grown up spending her days outside riding bikes through the mud on rainy days, swimming in the pond with bats overhead, picking radishes from mum’s garden, walking in the fields and forests, raking and jumping in leaves - even getting married to Craig at the big rock by the pond. Those early experiences of freedom, creativity, and joy became the embers on her heart that would later lead her to running Forest Schools and licensed childcare programs in Calgary, Alberta since 2013.
Today, that vision lives on each summer, when a close-knit crew of working artists and educators gather in the woods to inspire and mentor a new generation. Together, they guide kids through hands-on discovery, bold ideas, and the kind of creativity that only happens when you’re outside, unplugged, and surrounded by people who believe in your spark.