Following up from their recent camp this past September, Camp Jamie held a teen camp at ThorpeWood this past weekend. The small group of 8 campers and 7 staff dedicated their day to healing, sharing, and being in the presence of others who have experienced great losses at a young age. In the morning, the campers introduced themselves through a game of Jenga before creating ‘memory catchers’ in the lower level of the lodge. Everyone headed out into the warm November day for a short walk to their lunch spot – beside the toasty woodstove in the one-room cabin by the stream. From there, we hiked across the property to the farm, where the horses, goats, cows, chickens, and cat greeted us. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed grooming the horses, loving the cat, holding the goats, and admiring the chickens.
As late-fall darkness fell over the early evening, the campers gathered around the fireplace back at the lodge for a sharing circle. For over an hour, they shared their losses, feelings, and memories. After shaking off the heaviness of those moments, dinner was served. The bonding continued over the creation of ceremonial pouches and the rememberence ceremony at our cowboy cauldron. Finally, after s’mores were made and eaten up, everyone headed home.
We are so honored to be a home to these teens – a place where they can feel safe to share their deepest pains and find a way through them. We’ll be seeing these brave teens again soon!