FAMILIES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Are you looking for a fun and interactive program that will strengthen the bonds between you and your loved ones? Look no further than Families in the Spotlight!

What It Is

Families in the Spotlight is a program for the whole family – from the littlest baby to the oldest elder and everyone in between.

At Families in the Spotlight, we sing, dance, learn lines, don costumes and characters, and work on entrances and exits, lighting, sound, and bits of business to put together a show for our audience.

55609111_10158488118694012_1783682330137722880_o

But it’s not just about putting on a great show. After the performance and the after party, we take time to debrief, reflect, and share our feelings about the intense collaboration that was required to mount the show. Through this process, we help families build stronger relationships, a better understanding of their family purpose and wonderful memories.

Testimonials

“My two children have been going KITS every summer for 9 years and have been provided with opportunities to learn communication skills, to learn to take risks and to learn to engage in a meaningful and collaborative process with children and youth… This program offers such a rich experience for young participants, all the way to youth leaders, and it is unparalleled in our community.”

Hazel Choy

“Maddy was 8 years old when we started attending KITS. They say it “takes a village to raise a child” and KITS was part of our village. Maddy felt fully accepted for who she was and that is not always the norm in society. Her Dad and I are so grateful that she has had this safe place to learn and grow and now give back! KITS helped me to be a better parent… knowing when to hold on and when to let go and to let go gracefully as she grew up. I met parents who shared the same feelings and thoughts and sharing these made the journey more special and not as scary or alone! The week at Haven also allowed me to recharge and that was priceless.
Thank you Denise for all you have done over the years to help these children become well-rounded loving adults. KITS prepares them for the outside world in a loving, supportive environment. IMMEASURABLE.

Mary Ann Marchildon

“I was first introduced to KITS as a participant along with my 3 siblings, 28 years ago. We attended for many years and it was ALWAYS the highlight of our summer and something we looked forward to all year.
My best friend, who I met at KITS 28 years ago, and I now bring our 2 young kids to KITS (along with our moms and my sister and her daughter!), and again this is a highlight that we all look forward to each year! I am always amazed and grateful to see the strong friendships our kids form with the other participants and the very talented interns and I love witnessing the remarkable areas of growth they go through within those 5 days. KITS is now a legacy tradition for our families that I feel very honoured to be a part of.”

Briana Sinatra

“As a grandparent I am so keen to provide opportunities that foster independence, creativity, compassion, friendships of all ages, confidence, all in an environment of healthy living and relationships to my granddaughters that I feel privileged to be a part of the KITS adventure… all that happens in our 5 day sojourn is a wonder. The memories will last a lifetime. “

Karin Sipko

“As a family, we have been attending the Kids in the Spotlight program for the past 5 years. The program has helped our daughter to develop a level of confidence in an environment of recognition and acceptance, and offers ongoing opportunities for her growth. Denise Goldbeck offers her knowledge and experience of child and adolescent development and has intentionally woven this into the program – for the children as well as the teen leaders… It is very meaningful to me that my daughter is now able to have her own experience at this very special place.”

Randy Wong

Personal Parenting - Window to Your Child Program

How It Works

At FITS, we believe that social lessons are most successfully taught with all age groups present. That’s why our program provides inter-generational learning experiences that are accessible to all ages.

The whole family benefits from being with the leaders as we play and create together all the while learning social lessons about how to collaborate with one another and grow as caring beings.

There are many social lessons that are most lovingly and most successfully taught with all the age groups, the full human spectrum of development at play. Opportunities for social experiences that are designed to support inter-generational learning are not very common in our culture, yet they provide great benefits for all ages.

Through the FITS program, families develop an understanding of…

each others play signals
greater social interaction skills
limitations and abilities based on development
closing the generational gap

FITS provides a series of games increasing gently and gradually in intensity that are accessible to all ages. Our games harken back to our hunter-gatherer days where competition was not misused but confined to play. We teach everyone how to ask permission to play, how to play with anyone, no matter their age. We discover that learning happens through play.

Our Team

Our team of leaders treats everyone with mutual respect and this creates a group bond that lifts everyone up to meet the challenge of show day.
All of our leaders go through our LAUNCH Youth Leadership program. Where youth leaders take part in deep self-reflection, self-expression, experiential learning, and leadership exercises. They learn developmental models, Satir Family Dynamics, communication skills, and coaching techniques.

They take what they’ve learned and apply it to a real-world situation by supporting the families participating in the FITS program. LAUNCH youth leaders present opportunities to discover unique family identity, purpose, goals, and how to understand one-another, helping them to explore their creativity in therapeutic, life-changing ways.