OUR HISTORY.
As seen on NBC Nightly News, Camp Kita is a week-long summer bereavement camp open to children ages 8-17 who are survivors of a loved one’s suicide. Held in an idyllic traditional camp setting in Central Maine, the camp provides all of the quintessential experiences of a rural summer camp. In addition, the camp provides clinical professionals who lead small peer support sessions and offer 24/7 trauma support. The camp is tuition free for all campers.
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Camp Kita is the only program of a small non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of bereaved youth and founded by sibling survivors of suicide loss. The camp was founded in 2013 by the Mosher siblings many years after the loss of their father to suicide. The camp will be celebrating its 8th season in 2021.
OUR MISSION.
We strive to provide a safe, supportive environment for young survivors of suicide to come together— Where our campers can build connections through common interests and shared experiences, find hope through nature, knowledge, and grief management tools, and gain confidence through new experiences, having fun, and finding their place within a large, resilient community of survivors.
TO NORMALIZE, DE-STIGMATIZE AND REMOVE PERCEIVED RESPONSIBILITY
Learn about trauma in general, and specifically suicide trauma
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Learn about the complexities of mental illness and depression
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Learn about common reactions to grief and trauma
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Meet peers and adults with shared experiences
LEARN HEALTHY COPING MECHANISMS
Practicing ways to relax
Identifying and managing strong emotions
Challenging and changing unhelpful thoughts
Exposure to the new experiences and activities
INCREASED CONFIDENCE, DECREASED ISOLATION
Forming new identities, relationships and goals
Discovering new skills and activities
Removing technology to build connections
Experience time with nature
Learning about resilience and inspiring one-another
OUR
VISION.
To provide a safe, nurturing environment where child survivors can connect with one another while learning constructive ways to deal with the often unspeakable and fierce emotion of losing a parent to suicide. By creating a space for child survivors, we effectively ease the stigma around what it means to have lost a parent to suicide. The campers’ shared loss and experience grants them the opportunity to form deep, knowing bonds with others and thereby forging supportive connections that we hope will last a lifetime.
As a community of survivors, our week-long focus will be to provide and explore constructive forms of self-expression. We will practice self-awareness as a way of identifying feelings and communicating them in a focused way. Our focus on grief—on shattering apart—will dovetail with an equally significant focus on hope—the power and purpose of piercing oneself together. Most importantly, we will empower campers to utilize the tools and resources we provide so that they may draw upon them throughout their lives.
PARTNERS.
We can't do it without the support and encouragement of the following organizations. If you are interested in a larger sponsorship of Camp Kita, please contact us.
Chris Langlais Memorial Golf Tournament
WHAT CAMPERS ARE SAYING
I felt so at peace because normally you aren’t surrounded by so many people that know exactly how you feel. Rarely do you run into people who have been through the same loss. I am so thankful for having the opportunity to go to camp and I can't wait for next year!