Project:Camp in Los Angeles is helping children impacted by the recent wildfires to live out their lives with a sense of normalcy through various activities.
All of the kids who are attending this particular camp have been impacted by the most recent wildfires, including nine-year-old Rose McCabe. Her Altadena school burned to the ground, and only the sign remained standing.
Children Affected by Wildfires
She said that there was a fire that burned down her whole school, adding that her friend Olivia's school also burned down, as well as her sister's. Rose said that the devastating left her "sad," noting that she didn't really know what was going to happen and what school she would go to next.
A fourth grader, Saffron Skarbek, said that while her family's home survived the wildfires, some of her friends' houses were not so lucky. She said that they tried to continue with their lives but still talked about the disaster that they went through, according to CBS News.
The Los Angeles Project:Camp operates across the United States and is set up within a few days in communities impacted by natural disasters. Ozzie Barron, co-founder and deputy director of the camp, said that the entire program is trauma-informed.
Living a Life With a Sense of Normalcy
What this means is that while the kids who attend can be seen running around and having a great time, a latticework of trauma-informed care is in the background. He added that Project:Camp was designed to help these children process in ways that are natural to individuals their age, which is through play and talking to each other.
Karen McCabe, Rose's mother, has been bringing both of her daughters to the camp. She is thankful for the service that it provides her children. She said that she understands kids need normal play and are much better off when they are with other children, MSN reported.
Other than Project:Camp, other organizations have taken in children impacted by the recent wildfires to help them cope with the aftermath. Across Los Angeles, some are offering free child care to help families devastated by the fires.
One example is Eagle Rock Recreation Center, where squeals of joy can be heard from the playground as a group of 30 children play in groups. The organizations provide a safe place for young kids to feel a sense of normalcy after what they were forced to go through, as per the Los Angeles Times.
