I volunteered for a kids' day camp on Oct 1. This camp was run alongside an adults' seminar on coping with bereavement, especially the death of a spouse. The kids at the camp, aged between 3 and 12 years old, had lost either a father or a mother.
The camp was to get the kids to learn about feelings, and how there can be comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. I was just a helper and I was extremely impressed by the Wesley team that put everything together.
The camp was also a relief for the parents, who could put their kids with us while they attended the seminar which would be very helpful for them. I could feel and know that they were very grateful to us whenever one of them came up to me.
I was in charge of the first ice-breaker game, which was a "find the badges" game. After finding the badges, the kids had to form three words from the letters on the badges. The words were Dance With Joy.
Other activities included using clay or playdoh for the kids to form their own interpretations of comfortable and uncomfortable feelings.
This was what I did with my clay -
- The bible and reading (comfortable)
- The heart and loving (comfortable)
- The cross and Jesus (comfortable)
- The mask and unhappiness (uncomfortable)
One of the kids wanted my cross so I let her take it home with her. :-) She said it was very nice. Ha ha!
At the end of the day, the kids got to make their own sock buddies which they could take home with them.
It's hard bringing up a kid, so I can imagine it's doubly hard bringing up a kid or kids on your own. I think the parents really appreciated that while they were attending a seminar that could help them a lot, their kids were being taken care of.
Following on from this camp is actually a more comprehensive programme for such kids so I'm thankful that there is some follow-through programme that the parents can turn to in helping their kids cope with bereavement. :-)
Actually one of the camp coordinators asked us during the debriefing session whether we were interested in volunteering for this upcoming programme, which would comprise more in-depth sessions over six Saturdays to help kids cope with their grief. At that time, I was most reluctant to volunteer because I was not confident of my ability to help the kids in a more in-depth manner.
However, this morning, when I was doing my quiet time in the cab, God brought to my mind the fact that we should be concerned about the widowed.
This was the verse that came to mind:
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Therefore I think I will volunteer at the upcoming six-session programme, since God has brought it into my mind.
There were so many learning points I took away from the camp:
1. Kids are amazingly creative. I ended up asking a very talented girl to help me finish one of my own clay art.
2. Kids can be remarkably resilient and mature but we also need to remember that they are still kids and they also need help to work through their own grief.
3. One of the most moving episodes for me during the camp? When the children were broken up into two groups, one aged 3-8 and the other for 9-12 year olds, this girl went up to her younger sister and gave her a very long hug and kissed her and spoke to her, probably to reassure her sister before they split up into their own groups. I was quite moved by this because it showed how mature and responsible the older child was, and even more surprising considering that I found it quite a challenge reaching out to and relating to the older child, who was one of my two buddies during the camp. When I saw her hug her sister and speak to her to reassure her, my eyes watered. Some of these kids have had to grow up so fast and handle very adult responsibilities.
4. The parents were extremely loving towards their children, and some of the children were very attached to their parents. I remember one girl asking me at least four times whether she will be able to see her mum during breaks.
5. Some of the kids were well-adjusted but some were more withdrawn. They are also one of the more neglected groups in society and we should endeavour to help them in any way we can. This includes their parents, too.
6. This camp also brings to my mind that God has said in His Word that to those who have been given more, more will be expected of them. This has always humbled me tremendously because I think God has blessed me in many ways and I need to constantly remember that He blesses me so that I can bless others through my giftings and abilities given to me from God.
One more wonderful outcome of the camp: I bumped into one of my secondary school mates whom I have not seen for years and years. We exchanged numbers and I'll be planning to meet up with her and her two kids in November. :-)
The camp was to get the kids to learn about feelings, and how there can be comfortable and uncomfortable feelings. I was just a helper and I was extremely impressed by the Wesley team that put everything together.
The camp was also a relief for the parents, who could put their kids with us while they attended the seminar which would be very helpful for them. I could feel and know that they were very grateful to us whenever one of them came up to me.
I was in charge of the first ice-breaker game, which was a "find the badges" game. After finding the badges, the kids had to form three words from the letters on the badges. The words were Dance With Joy.
Other activities included using clay or playdoh for the kids to form their own interpretations of comfortable and uncomfortable feelings.
This was what I did with my clay -
- The bible and reading (comfortable)
- The heart and loving (comfortable)
- The cross and Jesus (comfortable)
- The mask and unhappiness (uncomfortable)
One of the kids wanted my cross so I let her take it home with her. :-) She said it was very nice. Ha ha!
At the end of the day, the kids got to make their own sock buddies which they could take home with them.
It's hard bringing up a kid, so I can imagine it's doubly hard bringing up a kid or kids on your own. I think the parents really appreciated that while they were attending a seminar that could help them a lot, their kids were being taken care of.
Following on from this camp is actually a more comprehensive programme for such kids so I'm thankful that there is some follow-through programme that the parents can turn to in helping their kids cope with bereavement. :-)
Actually one of the camp coordinators asked us during the debriefing session whether we were interested in volunteering for this upcoming programme, which would comprise more in-depth sessions over six Saturdays to help kids cope with their grief. At that time, I was most reluctant to volunteer because I was not confident of my ability to help the kids in a more in-depth manner.
However, this morning, when I was doing my quiet time in the cab, God brought to my mind the fact that we should be concerned about the widowed.
This was the verse that came to mind:
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Therefore I think I will volunteer at the upcoming six-session programme, since God has brought it into my mind.
There were so many learning points I took away from the camp:
1. Kids are amazingly creative. I ended up asking a very talented girl to help me finish one of my own clay art.
2. Kids can be remarkably resilient and mature but we also need to remember that they are still kids and they also need help to work through their own grief.
3. One of the most moving episodes for me during the camp? When the children were broken up into two groups, one aged 3-8 and the other for 9-12 year olds, this girl went up to her younger sister and gave her a very long hug and kissed her and spoke to her, probably to reassure her sister before they split up into their own groups. I was quite moved by this because it showed how mature and responsible the older child was, and even more surprising considering that I found it quite a challenge reaching out to and relating to the older child, who was one of my two buddies during the camp. When I saw her hug her sister and speak to her to reassure her, my eyes watered. Some of these kids have had to grow up so fast and handle very adult responsibilities.
4. The parents were extremely loving towards their children, and some of the children were very attached to their parents. I remember one girl asking me at least four times whether she will be able to see her mum during breaks.
5. Some of the kids were well-adjusted but some were more withdrawn. They are also one of the more neglected groups in society and we should endeavour to help them in any way we can. This includes their parents, too.
6. This camp also brings to my mind that God has said in His Word that to those who have been given more, more will be expected of them. This has always humbled me tremendously because I think God has blessed me in many ways and I need to constantly remember that He blesses me so that I can bless others through my giftings and abilities given to me from God.
One more wonderful outcome of the camp: I bumped into one of my secondary school mates whom I have not seen for years and years. We exchanged numbers and I'll be planning to meet up with her and her two kids in November. :-)
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