Experience Camps

Since 2009, Experience Camps has hosted no-cost, week-long, overnight summer camps for children who have lost a parent, caregiver, or sibling. Since its founding, Experience Camps has supported over 3,000 grieving children and their families in navigating grief and developing strong coping skills to live happy, healthy, and productive lives.

Experience Camps provides children the opportunity to be kids again and to experience all the silliness and joy of camp alongside daily clinical activities facilitated by a masters-level clinician and supported by well-trained volunteers. One of the most transformative activities campers engaged in was the bunk “sharing circles” where bunkmates could share stories about a loved one who had passed away, pass around a picture, or listen to the stories of other campers.  Children are surrounded by people who just “get it” and report feeling normal again.

In August 2024, Experience Camp hosted 300 children and teens at Camp Manitou and Somerset in Oakland and Smithfield, Maine. Experience Camps received a 2023-2024 Sadie and Harry Davis Patricia D. Klingenstein Grants Program to support camp experiences for over 60 grieving children from Maine to attend that camp.

The 2024 Experience Camp delivered tremendous results for participating campers. 72% of caregivers reported a positive change in their child’s self-confidence after participating in the 2024 summer camp. Additionally, post-camp surveys found a 21% increase in campers who reported feeling more comfortable talking about their grief and a 17% increase in campers feeling more confident to try new things.