“Life is hello, life is goodbye.” This is the mantra every child and teen is encouraged to take to heart at Camp Aloha, a children’s bereavement camp that takes place every year in Savannah, Georgia.
The weekend-long overnight camp is facilitated by the staff of Hospice Savannah and its volunteers. Although every camper is different, they have one key thing in common – the loss of a loved one. Some of those loved ones received hospice care; others did not. Camp Aloha exists for the sole purpose of helping children and teens between the ages of 6-17 to understand and normalise their grief.
Participating in the same kind of fun and games that children will experience at any other summer camp, these children are in the hands of bereavement experts who will help them to process their grief. At this camp they will receive comprehensive grief counseling while surrounded by children sharing feelings similar to theirs.
While sitting around a campfire on the second night, each camper is asked to write his or her deceased loved one a personal letter. This gives them an opportunity to put into words what they wish they could have said if that person were still alive. A bereavement counselor explains that the letters will be placed in the fire and the messages carried up to the heavens in the smoke. The campers walk in a sombre procession around the fire before placing their letters into the flames. Afterwards they are encouraged to share their thoughts and feelings.
The campfire often brings out the most intense feelings and an emotional release but Camp Aloha also teaches that grief can be followed by joy.
Click here to read more about the camp and the three main ways that childhood grief differs from adult grieving, and how hospice can help, in the USA edition of ehospice.
Click here to read the full report and watch the short video.
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