| Camp HOPE California Starts this Sunday San Diego, CA - Camp HOPE California, a program of Alliance for HOPE International, kicks off this Sunday at Mt. Hermon's Kidder Creek Ranch Camp in Siskiyou County, CA. This camp is part of Camp HOPE America, which is the first nationwide camping, and mentoring initiative in the United States to focus on children exposed to domestic violence. This year more then 400 California youth and teens from 12 different communities will take part in a unique camping experience that is designed just for them. Camp HOPE America grew out of the vision and work of the San Diego Family Justice Center, the National Family Justice Center Alliance (www.familyjusticecenter.com), and Alliance for HOPE International (www.allianceforhope.com). The vision for Camp HOPE is to break the generational cycle of family violence by offering healing and hope to children who have witnessed family violence. Camp HOPE provides weeklong camping experiences for children at no cost to them or their families. As Karianne Gwinn, Camp HOPE California Director, said, "Camp HOPE is about giving children their childhood back." Camp will operate in Arroyo Grande, CA and Etna, CA this summer. 
Camp HOPE will operate six weeks of camping programs this summer. Classic programs are for children entering grades 2-6. High adventure programs are for children entering grades 6-11.
Camp HOPE Kidder Creek (Classic) - June 7-13 (One Safe Place Shasta) Camp HOPE Kidder Creek (High Adventure) - June 14-20 (One Safe Place Shasta) Camp HOPE Lopez Lake (Classic) - June 22-27 (RiseSLO, Ventura County, San Diego Family Justice Center (FJC) Camp HOPE Kidder Creek (Classic) - June 28-July 4 (Stanislaus FJC, Sacramento County, San Joaquin County) Camp HOPE Kidder Creek (Classic) - August 2-8 (Alameda County FJC, FJC of Sonoma, Yolo County) Camp HOPE Kidder Creek (High Adventure) - August 9-15 (Alameda County FJC, San Joaquin County, San Diego FJC, Imperial County FJC) Alliance for HOPE President and Camp HOPE America Founder Casey Gwinn, said, "We can love these children at 10 and change their destinies, or lock them up at 17 and say we are tough on crime." It is well documented that children exposed to domestic violence and related physical and sexual abuse suffer severe and long-term impacts. The majority of all juvenile and adult offenders in correctional institutions came from families of origin with histories of domestic violence, child abuse, and some mix of alcohol and drug abuse. The prevalence of gang membership, teen relationship violence, bullying, and sexual assault have all been associated with children growing up in violent and abusive homes. The research is clear... Resiliency and competency in children and providing "turning point" opportunities can help children overcome the trauma and modeling impacts of family violence. The University of Oklahoma has been evaluating Camp HOPE for the past two years and reports, "Camp HOPE California exists to provide children hope, as well as a reprieve from the family violence they experience. The violence they experience on a daily basis leaves them at a greater risk for such things as poverty, substance abuse, crime, lower educational attainment, intimate partner violence, and child abuse. While participating in the activities at Camp HOPE America, the children and their camp counselors establish goals that are believed to enhance optimum functioning of the child given their psychological, social, and demographic means. The results of this outcome assessment indicate that Camp HOPE America does, indeed, provide a pathway of hope for children who experience family violence." Learn more at www.camphopeamerica.org. For those able to donate to help support youth exposed to family violence, please go to www.allianceforhope.com and make a donation to support this work. Camp HOPE children are available for interviews and footage of Camp HOPE is also available for media outlets. |
