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by Kay Danielson
School violence is an all-too-frequent headline and no
prevention measure has yet been found. But camp experiences of being close
to nature, participating in wholesome activities, and forming community
with others can help children affected by violence heal and learn to trust
again. One camp director reached out to the community of Jonesboro, Arkansas,
after two young boys from Westside Middle School opened fire on classmates
killing four children and a teacher and wounding ten others.
Camp Can Make a Difference
David Gill, a Presbyterian minister and director of Ferncliff
Camp and Conference Center in Little Rock, recognized that a carefully
crafted camp experience could offer a powerful spiritual and healing experience
for the children. However, the stunned community had closed ranks trying
to protect its own from the onslaught of media and sight-
seers who had rushed to the city following the incident. Gill knew that
the community was very wary of help offered by outsiders. "I knew
the idea to invite the children to camp would have to come from inside
the Jonesboro community," he says.
Making discrete inquiries to Jonesboro clergy, Gill eventually
got the support from a school parent who introduced the idea to school
officials, the children, and their parents. The response was overwhelming.
"We ended up with seventy kids and a few parents," says Gill.
Many of these children had been on the playground and some were among
those wounded during the shooting.
Making Plans
In the months preceding the camp, Gill gathered his resources
for this special effort and formed a planning committee. Key people included
a Catholic priest from Jonesboro who was directly involved with the children,
a teacher/parent from the school, a Unitarian therapist, and a Presbyterian
disaster response consultant. He recruited experienced camp counselors,
young men and women capable of working with the special needs of the Jonesboro
children. In addition to regular activities, the camp scheduled spiritual
reflection time, art, music, and conflict resolution sessions.
Community Outreach
Gill contacted artists, musicians, nurses, entertainers,
a storyteller, the local astronomy club, and many others who generously
volunteered their time for the special camp program and the Jonesboro
children. Donations of transportation, backpacks, drink mugs, film, food,
and other items came from businesses, and religious organizations provided
funding.
Camp Week Arrives
Camp week was a time of learning for everyone. The children
played music, ate, cried, created art, wrote letters, formed friendships,
hiked in the woods, shared their fears, sang, and laughed in 100-degree
heat.
College-aged counselors lived with the campers in bunkhouses,
participated in the classes, and set an example of empathy, energy, good
humor, enthusiasm, and teamwork. The exceptional caliber of counselors
was vital to the success of the camper’s experience.
A Resounding Success
After the program, parents, school officials, and community
leaders reported the camp a resounding success and have since formed fund-raising
groups to help finance the children’s continued involvement with Ferncliff.
Encouraged by the feedback, Gill formed a long-term plan to continue healing,
promote leadership training, and eventually, encourage peer support groups.
Ongoing Healing
Gill frequently communicates with the children’s families
and has organized several trips for camp staff to visit Jonesboro. Ferncliff
sponsored and participated in activities including an open house and a
dance for the children during the anniversary of the shooting.
A Spring Break Camp offered more conflict resolution
sessions and a field trip for the children to help others (e.g., doing
clean-up for Arkansas tornado victims). And, a safely controlled rock-climbing
experience taught teamwork and encouraged the children to stretch for
their goals. Drama and poetry will be introduced in future camps.
Future Endeavors
Gill envisions the Jonesboro/Ferncliff partnership continuing
for at least four or five years until this group of children graduates
from high school. "We hope to build the children’s self-confidence
so they can share their story and help other people in similar situations,"
he says.
"When we created the camp for the Jonesboro kids,"
Gill says, "it was 75 percent traditional camp but we modified the
curriculum to include therapeutic and sensitization activities to promote
healing. Since then we’ve learned that all camps can benefit from this
approach, and it has enhanced the Ferncliff experience for all the people
we serve."
Thanks in part to the Ferncliff Camp, the future holds
hope and promise for those children caught in the tragic event at Jonesboro.
Gill’s work at Ferncliff has created interest from all over the country,
and it may spur development of a national camp to offer healing, promise,
and potential for victims of school violence.
Originally published in the 1999 September/October
issue of Camping Magazine. |
