A camp in Seminole County is helping kids heal after hurricanes
Project:Camp is a disaster response organization, traveling nationwide to provide free, trauma-informed child care for families impacted by natural disasters A special camp in Seminole County, Florida, is helping kids recover after hurricanes. The camp is specifically designed to help children who may struggle with reading comprehension and coping with traumatic experiences. The program includes art and crafts for 11-year-olds and 90-year old OVIEDO NATIVES. The coordinator, Henry Myers, met with SEMINOLE County EMERGENCY MANAGER ALAN HARRIS at a HURRICANE CONFERENCE and discussed the purpose of the camp. The facility also includes free, interactive training and assistance from experts from the CDC and local law enforcement agencies. It is designed to provide free, effective child care for families affected by natural disasters like hurricanes.
Publicados : 3 semanas atrás por Christina Watkins, https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaWatkinsWESH no Environment
LOT OF PHYSICAL DAMAGE, AS WE’VE UNFORTUNATELY. SEEN HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. THOSE STORMS CAN ALSO LEAD TO LONG LASTING TRAUMA. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE FOR CHILDREN WHO MAY HAVE A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING WHAT’S GOING ON. WESH 2’S CHRISTINA WATKINS TELLS US ABOUT A SPECIAL CAMP IN SEMINOLE COUNTY FOCUSED ON HELPING KIDS HEAL AFTER A STORM. AT FIRST GLANCE, THIS LOOKS LIKE YOUR TYPICAL CAMP FOR KIDS AND FOR 11 YEAR-OLD OVIEDO NATIVES, AMARA, IT FELT LIKE EVERY OTHER CAMP SHE HAD ATTENDED AT THE YMCA ON RED BUG ROAD. WE GO SWIMMING. UH, WE DO A SNACK AND LUNCH. WE DO ARTS AND CRAFTS WHILE THE ACTIVITIES WEREN’T NEW, THEY CARRIED A DIFFERENT PURPOSE THIS TIME AROUND, SO THIS CAMP EVENTUALLY, UM, WILL BE TO HELP CHILDREN LIKE YOURSELF SORT OF PROCESS SOME OF THE THINGS YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN AND EXPERIENCED. DO YOU THINK THAT’S REALLY COOL TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS, RIGHT? YEAH, I LOVE TALKING ABOUT MY FEELINGS. ZEMIRO WAS ONE OF 90 KIDS WHO PARTICIPATED IN A TRAINING FOR PROJECT CAMP. IT’S A DISASTER RESPONSE ORGANIZATION TRAVELING NATIONWIDE TO PROVIDE FREE, TRAUMA INFORMED CHILD CARE FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY NATURAL DISASTERS LIKE HURRICANES IAN AND NICOLE. KIDS PROCESS TRAUMA A LOT DIFFERENTLY THAN ADULTS DO. THEY PROCESS THROUGH PLAY. THEY PROCESS WITH THEIR PEERS, AND SO WE GIVE THEM A SPACE TO DO JUST THAT. HENRY MYERS SAYS HE MET SEMINOLE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER ALAN HARRIS AT A HURRICANE CONFERENCE IN NEW ORLEANS. MYERS SHARED THE PURPOSE OF PROJECT CAMP, AND HARRIS SAID HE IMMEDIATELY JUMPED ON THE CHANCE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. HE KNOWS FIRSTHAND THE KIND OF TRAUMA THAT CAN COME IN THE AFTERMATH OF A STORM. AS A YOUTH, I DEALT WITH A TORNADO. SO, UH, IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND THERE WAS NO PROGRAM FOR ME. THERE WAS NOTHING FOR THE YOUTH TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH WHATEVER THAT DISASTER IS. THE CDC SAYS MENTAL STRESS FROM A DISASTER CAN BE HARDER ON CHILDREN BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON, AND THEY FEEL LESS ABLE TO CONTROL EVENTS, AND THEY DON’T HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE COPING WITH DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. IT’S PART OF THE REASON WHY, HARRIS SAID. IT MADE SENSE TO BRING PROJECT CAMP TO SEMINOLE COUNTY RIGHT NOW, JUST TO SEE HOW IT WOULD WORK. WE BROUGHT IN PEOPLE FROM CALIFORNIA FROM PROJECT CAMP AND THEY’RE HELPING TO EDUCATE THOSE FOLKS SO WE CAN START IT IMMEDIATELY. SO, RIGHT AFTER THE DISASTER PASSES, WE CAN START THIS PROGRAM WITHIN 48 HOURS. PART OF THE TRAINING INCLUDED THERAPY DOGS LIKE WOODY AND OREO. STUDIES SHOW DOGS LIKE THIS CAN HELP REDUCE STRESS AND ANXIETY. SHANE. THERE YOU GO. CAMP LEADERS ALSO SAID THEY MADE SURE KIDS FELT COMFORTABLE ADDRESSING THEIR EMOTIONS. ZAMORA REFLECTED ON IAN AND THE FLOODING AT HER HOUSE WHEN THE STORM HIT IN 2022. IT MADE ME FEEL SCARED. I DIDN’T. KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT I KNEW IN MY HEART THAT GOD WAS WITH ME AND MY MOM AND DAD AND MY BROTHER WERE WITH ME. GRATITUDE CIRCLES, UH, MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL CHECKS THAT WE DO THROUGHOUT THE DAY THAT ARE DESIGNED TO HELP MITIGATE SORT OF THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF THESE TRAUMATIC EVENTS THAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH. OH, OTHER ONE. NOW, THE MAIN GOAL, CAMP LEADERS SAID, WAS TO MAKE SURE KIDS GOT A SAFE SPACE TO PROCESS WHAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH, PROVIDING A SENSE OF NORMALCY DURING WHAT. COULD BE A VERY TERRIFYING TIME. WE HOPE TO NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN, RIGHT? HOPE TO NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN. BU
A camp in Seminole County is helping kids heal after hurricanes Project:Camp is a disaster response organization, traveling nationwide to provide free, trauma-informed child care for families impacted by natural disasters Hurricanes can leave behind a lot of physical damage, as we've unfortunately seen here in Central Florida.Those storms can also lead to long-lasting trauma. This is especially true for children who may have a hard time understanding what's going on.WESH 2 sat in on a special camp in Seminole County focused on helping kids heal after a storm.At first glance, it looks like a typical camp for kids. For 11-year-old Oviedo native Zamyrah, it felt like every other camp she had ever attended at the YMCA on Red Bug Road."We go swimming, we do a snack and lunch. We do arts and crafts," she said.While the activities weren't new, they carried a different purpose this time around; a place for children to process and discuss their feelings.Related: Hurricane KidCast: What's a hurricane? How do they suck up water? And more answers to kids' questions Zamyrah was one of 90 kids who participated in a training session for Project:Camp.It's a disaster response organization, traveling nationwide to provide free, trauma-informed child care for families impacted by natural disasters like Hurricanes Ian and Nicole."Kids process trauma a lot differently than adults do. They process through play, they process with their peers. And so, we give them a space to do just that," Henry Meier, the director of external affairs for Project:Camp, said.Meier says he met Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris at a hurricane conference in New Orleans. Meier shared the purpose of Project:Camp and Harris said he immediately jumped on the chance to learn more about it. He knows firsthand the kind of trauma that can come in the aftermath of a storm."As a youth, I dealt with a tornado in middle school, and there was no program for me. There was nothing for the youth to help them deal with whatever that disaster is," Harris said.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mental stress from a disaster can be harder on children because they simply don't understand what's going on.They feel less able to control events, and they don't have a lot of experience coping with difficult situations.That's part of the reason why Harris said it made sense to bring Project:Camp to Seminole County to see how it would work."We brought in people from California, from Project:Camp, and they're helping to educate those folks so we can start it immediately. So, right after the disaster passes, we can start this program within 48 hours," Harris said.Part of the training included therapy dogs, such as Woody and Oreo, which studies show help reduce stress and anxiety.Related: WESH 2 Hurricane Survival Guide 2024Camp leaders also made sure kids felt comfortable addressing their emotions. For Zamyrah, that meant reflecting on Ian and the flooding at her house when the storm hit in 2022. "It made me feel scared. I didn't know what to do, but I knew in my heart that God was with me and my mom and dad and my brother were with me," Zamyrah said."Gratitude circle, mental and emotional checks that we do throughout the day, that are designed to help mitigate the long-term effects of these traumatic events that they've been through," Meier said.The main goal, Meier said, is to make sure kids get a safe space to process what they've been through while providing a sense of normalcy during what could be a very terrifying time. More: WESH 2’s long-range hurricane season forecast Hurricanes can leave behind a lot of physical damage, as we've unfortunately seen here in Central Florida. Those storms can also lead to long-lasting trauma. This is especially true for children who may have a hard time understanding what's going on. WESH 2 sat in on a special camp in Seminole County focused on helping kids heal after a storm. At first glance, it looks like a typical camp for kids. For 11-year-old Oviedo native Zamyrah, it felt like every other camp she had ever attended at the YMCA on Red Bug Road. "We go swimming, we do a snack and lunch. We do arts and crafts," she said. While the activities weren't new, they carried a different purpose this time around; a place for children to process and discuss their feelings. Related: Hurricane KidCast: What's a hurricane? How do they suck up water? And more answers to kids' questions Zamyrah was one of 90 kids who participated in a training session for Project:Camp. It's a disaster response organization, traveling nationwide to provide free, trauma-informed child care for families impacted by natural disasters like Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. "Kids process trauma a lot differently than adults do. They process through play, they process with their peers. And so, we give them a space to do just that," Henry Meier, the director of external affairs for Project:Camp, said. Meier says he met Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris at a hurricane conference in New Orleans. Meier shared the purpose of Project:Camp and Harris said he immediately jumped on the chance to learn more about it. He knows firsthand the kind of trauma that can come in the aftermath of a storm. "As a youth, I dealt with a tornado in middle school, and there was no program for me. There was nothing for the youth to help them deal with whatever that disaster is," Harris said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mental stress from a disaster can be harder on children because they simply don't understand what's going on. They feel less able to control events, and they don't have a lot of experience coping with difficult situations. That's part of the reason why Harris said it made sense to bring Project:Camp to Seminole County to see how it would work. "We brought in people from California, from Project:Camp, and they're helping to educate those folks so we can start it immediately. So, right after the disaster passes, we can start this program within 48 hours," Harris said. Part of the training included therapy dogs, such as Woody and Oreo, which studies show help reduce stress and anxiety. Camp leaders also made sure kids felt comfortable addressing their emotions. For Zamyrah, that meant reflecting on Ian and the flooding at her house when the storm hit in 2022. "It made me feel scared. I didn't know what to do, but I knew in my heart that God was with me and my mom and dad and my brother were with me," Zamyrah said. "Gratitude circle, mental and emotional checks that we do throughout the day, that are designed to help mitigate the long-term effects of these traumatic events that they've been through," Meier said. The main goal, Meier said, is to make sure kids get a safe space to process what they've been through while providing a sense of normalcy during what could be a very terrifying time.
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