Camp helps youth handle grief
Bonner General Health Community Hospice is providing a way to help kids learn how to deal with grief by bringing back Kid’s Grief Camp after a four-year hiatus.
Courtesy photo
SANDPOINT — Grief is something everyone experiences during their lifetime, and kids are no exception.
Bonner General Health Community Hospice is providing a way to help kids learn how to deal with grief by bringing back Kid’s Grief Camp after a four-year hiatus.
The two-day camp happened annually for 21 years before the pandemic forced it to shut down for several years. The camp is for kids ages 8-17 who have experienced grief.
“The camp offers kids a way to share their emotions and learn how to cope with all the feelings they are experiencing,” Kate McAlister, BGH volunteer coordinator, said. “They get to tell their story and express how they feel about what is happening in their life. Kid’s Camp is a place to learn coping skills to help them move on and forward with their lives.”
Kids attending the camp will learn how to process grief through a combination of stories, art projects and outdoor activities. Licensed therapists and trained volunteers will help kids understand the cycle of life by talking about their experiences.
Peter Gilmore, a hospice volunteer for 25 years and camp volunteer, said the camp atmosphere is established early on.
“If a child prefers not to talk or answer questions, that is fine,” he said. “The camp is established as a safe place — a comfortable place for the kids. There is a lot of sharing of emotions. Kids go through pretty traumatic things with the death of someone they love. It’s a very individual thing, and everyone has their own way of dealing with death.”
Camp is not always serious, McAlister said. It is also about having fun, feeling joy and being with other kids who understand what each one is going through.
“Mostly it’s about moving through the healing process together,” she said.
Kid’s Grief Camp will be held at Pine Street Woods on June 17 and 18 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day. The event is free for children from both Bonner and Boundary County.
Call Courtney Kruse, BGH bereavement coordinator, at 208-265-1179 or email courtney.kruse@bonnergeneral.org to RSVP for the camp.