Talking about the loss of camp with your camper

Whenever and however you decide to talk to your camper about Sherman Lake YMCA Camp this summer, we want to thank you for partnering with us as we share this difficult news with those in our community.

Please remind your campers that while these decisions were difficult, and not made lightly, they are what is best for the safety and well-being of our campers, staff and families.

Below are some additional tips for preparing to speak with your campers:

Be mindful of your own head space.
Your camper may have a strong emotional response, and so may you. Make sure that you are ready and willing to guide your camper through their processing. Take some time to yourself to think, breathe or meditate first if necessary.

Share all the facts and allow them to ask questions.
Our Parent COVID-19 FAQ Sheet as well as guidelines from the CDC and ACA are great resources as you share the reasoning behind decisions.

Follow their lead. Make sure everyone has a voice.
Your camper may need time to process or not have a lot of questions right now. That is totally fine! There is no need to pressure them to talk about camp if they have other things on their mind, but just be ready when they are.

Create space for your camper to express their emotions and validate all of them.
Campers may express their emotions in many different ways and creating space for them to do so is very important. Prepare yourself for your child to respond with sadness, anger or withdrawing. Try to look under any behavior, and accept and name the feeling underneath the behavior.

Provide hope for the future.
Camp is not going away! Sherman Lake YMCA Camp will be here in summer 2021 and beyond to provide programming for them to participate in. Remind them that while it is a long time to wait, the day will come.

Connect them with the Sherman Lake YMCA Camp community.
Many other campers are going through the same experience as your child. Connecting them with others can be a great emotional outlet. Sherman Lake YMCA Camp’s Camp At Home page, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are great ways to stay connected to camp all year long.

Remind them to practice HCRR (honesty, caring, respect and responsibility) in everything they do.

Please feel free to reach out to us at heathers@ymcasl.org if you have any questions.