Project Description:
The FSN also sponsors two weekend camps each year. Camp LIFE (Leadership, Independence, and Friends through Experiences) accomplishes several goals. The first goal is to provide an integrated setting for children with disabilities to participate in a true camp experience. The children with disabilities and their non-disabled siblings, ages 5 to 18, are placed into two groups designated by age. The campers are then paired with a counselor for the weekend. The campers engage in activities including swimming, canoeing, ropes course, horseback riding, fishing, archery, making S'mores, and more. The camping facility that the FSN utilizes for Camp LIFE was designed and built for people with special needs and is a barrier free facility. Camp LIFE has medical staff present for the duration of the camp.
A second priority of Camp LIFE is to provide parents with a weekend of respite. This is one reason why the non-disabled peers are invited to attend camp. Another reason siblings are encouraged to attend is to provide a more integrated environment for Camp LIFE and another is to provide the non-disabled peers a counselor/buddy for a weekend paying specific attention to them.
A third focus of Camp LIFE is to provide Texas A&M pre-service teachers an opportunity to experience what it is like to care for a child with a disability. The counselors at Camp LIFE are largely comprised of Texas A&M pre-service teachers acquiring field-based hours for university classes. The counselors are required to attend training on disability awareness, ethics and care prior to camp. The counselors have full access to assistance during Camp LIFE is situations arise, thus far none have. The counselors are required to complete a journal about the weekend and the descriptions of their experiences validate the growth experiences that occur during this weekend.
The camp served 98 campers, 83 TAMU students, and provided over 49 families respite.
Keyword(s):
Family involvement, advocacy, community integration, Recreation
Core Function(s):
Other Direct/Model Services
Area of Emphasis
Child Care-Related Activities, Quality of Life
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Geographic Area - Other
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
