Camp Erin Creates a Safe Space for Children’s Grief

SPOTLIGHT: Camp Erin Creates a Safe Space for Children’s Grief

Montreal Tips | Cause of the Month | January 2019

 

Children experience grief differently from adults and often struggle to cope with feelings they don’t understand and can’t articulate. It can be an immensely helpful and healing experience to spend time with other children who are also working through grief, and guided by adults who understand their unique experience.

 

 

Camp Erin is the largest network of free bereavement camps in North America, and is open to children aged 6 – 17 who have experienced the loss of a loved one.

 

This incredible camp gifts children with the opportunity to laugh, cry, grieve and celebrate. It allows them to accept that it is okay to be sad and okay to be happy. It is a space where they can be children among other children who also have loss in their hearts; to experience, together, that their own lives can move forward with joy, fun and all the typical childhood activities, while celebrating and honouring their memories of their lost loved one. You can learn a bit more about what they do and what the camp is like for children in their video.

 

The camp is led by grief professionals and trained volunteers, including the camp’s Clinical Director, Corrie Sirota. Corrie specializes in the areas of loss and bereavement, parenting, relationships, stress management and self esteem. She is also the author of the incredibly insightful and supportive book, Someone Died… Now What? A Personal and Professional Perspective on Coping With Grief and Loss. Having experienced the loss of her own brother at a young age, helping children through painful loss is a purpose dear to her heart.

 

Camp Erin has a staff to camper ratio of 2:1 to ensure every child receives the attention and care they need. It takes place over a weekend and is now scheduled for August 9 – August 11, 2019. The deadline for camper registration is June 30, 2019.

If you or someone you know could benefit from this amazing initiative, check out Camp Erin details here.

 

Camp Erin is completely free to campers and is very grateful for any donations that help them offer this unique, caring and compassionate experience to grieving children.

 

 

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MELISSA DAWN : Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be | Corporate and Leadership Coach | Best-Selling Author | Speaker

I am Founder of CEO of Your Life, an organization helping individuals and businesses get clear on where they are, where they want to be and what they need to do to get there. Read more on Melissa