Camp Empower: Lifeline's Therapeutic Trauma-Informed Day Camp

Welcome to the defender podcast, a resource to help mobilize and equip the body of Christ to manifest the gospel to orphans and vulnerable children. This podcast is a ministry of Lifeline Children Services, and I'm your host, Herbie Newell.

Hi there. Welcome back to the Defender Podcast. This is Rick Morton. Today is April 10, 2024. As I said last week, we're in the throes of spring here.

Camp Empower.

Right? So summer camp has been a staple in the lives of children for generations. We wanna expand the opportunity for children to experience camp, through Camp Empower. Camp Empower is a trauma informed day camp designed to serve children with academic, relational, and emotional differences in a fun camp environment. Camp Empower uses hands on tools and techniques from trained staff to help children implement social, emotional, and cognitive development skills.

Yeah. Thanks. It's good to be back.

If we, you know, folks need to be reminded, Ann Maura is a certified cognitive developmental therapist. It sounds really impressive.

What does that mean?

I don't know, but it sounds really impressive. She has both an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in special education. Her master's degree comes from the University of Tennessee. That is still a point of contention that hasn't been resolved since last week. Roll tide. But we'll just, we'll we'll just leave that there. She is the wife of Robbie, who is amazing and awesome and, one of my favorite people. And, she is a mom to 3 kids that she adores and loves spending time with.

Yeah. Camp's been around now. I think, well, here with Lifeline for about 6 years.

Yeah.

And so it's been it's been fun to see. And now even see some of our campers and some of our buddies just, you know, grow. . You know? And, yeah, see see him 6 years later. It's really fun.

Well, and, you know, and we've and when we'll get into talking about we're gonna break it down and talk about, you know, camp and what it is and all that. But one of the things I wanna say before we even start is we've, like, we've continued to see camp evolve. And it's it's continued to become and that's that's really been, you know, just the Lord's grace to us to be able to be a part of that and witness it and have an opportunity to do that. And so there are some fun things that are on the horizon. There are some things that God's up to in the future, and and, you know, we wanna kinda, you know, maybe crack that open just a little bit today.

Yeah. Well, camp is it's meant to be fun. And, you know, if you heard last week's podcast, we talked a lot about play, you know, and what what that looks like. And so we really want to, just just, you know, use that and in a fun way to to help strengthen kids academically, socially, and emotionally. And so and we believe that that's possible.

You have an alumni program.

We have alumni program. And, they come back, but they rotate through these groups and the groups are like a movement group. So we're we're, like, if you really wanna get into, like, how movement develops the brain. Mhmm. So that's what that's what we're doing.

Mhmm.

And, you know, and how God sees you compared to how that bully sees you. We're gonna do lots of activities, a lot of hands on activities. We're gonna talk about ways to to calm ourselves by ourselves. That's kind of a motto for camp is to calm ourselves by ourselves and what that looks like. And then, we have a sensory room.

Yeah.

To just to help in a fun way because we know if we practice these things when we are, in an okay regulated space, and then alongside of someone, you know, with that connection, then we're going to be able to hopefully, you know, help that brain to develop so that later on when they are in those moments, you know, then they'll be able to recall some of these tools and strategies and use them. So

Well, you know, a couple of things about Camp Empower that I, you know, that I love. First of all, is Camp Empower is for kids that a traditional camp environment might not be appropriate for.

Oh, yeah.

And, you know, and so we do, all of us, you know, love looking back on those experiences of, you know, of going to summer camp and and being around, you know, our friends and making memories and all those kinds of things. And and quite honestly, and I I know there are moms and dads that are out there listening to us that, they probably haven't felt comfortable in in sending their kids to a traditional day camp or or an overnight camp or, you know, a, you know, a student life or a centrifuge or a lot of other kind of things that, you know, that that that we might normally do because of some of those challenges and some of those differences that their, you know, their children are experiencing. And and so Camp Empower is designed for those kiddos.

Yeah. Exactly.

And and so we're, like, that's that's who Camp Empower is about. Yeah. And and so I think, you know, maybe talk a little bit about the parent side of Camp Empower. What, you know, what's the what's this meant to do both in in providing an opportunity for our kids, but also

Mhmm.

About, like, what's it meant to do for us?

Yeah. Yeah. Well, like, some of the feedback that we received early on in camp was, you know, parents would come up to us and say, hey. You know, my child's coming home, you know, doing magic mustache breathing. Or my child's talking about walking, you know, through water beads, you know, in his bare feet, you know, and and and talking about regulations and things.

That's awesome.

Because it get they get to see, hey, what their kids are learning, but also, hey, how does this help me?

Right.

You know, to be able to parent my my child who might be a little sensitive, who needs magic mustache, you know, and,

I was doing the magic mustache over here at Ann Maura As we were talking. I was a little triggered by what she

said. Yeah. So that's kind of fun. And, like, one of the one of the things that we do, and we have to actually it it feels awkward. To, you know, hang out with their child that day. And then, you know, that gives that that parent, that child a chance to see their parent releasing them or giving them that opportunity. And then also we look, you know, we look at the camper at that point and say, hey, is it okay if we give you a high 5 or a fist bump or an elbow bump today?

Mhmm.

And, and so they have a chance, this interaction with their parent, with their buddy to have a voice Yep. In what's gonna happen that day. So we're it's constantly scripted, so that we are, like, encouraging that connection between the parent and and their their camper as well too.

And I think, you know, on both sides. 1, you know, as a parent who, may have, you know, thinking about sending your child to camp, may put a knot in the pit of your stomach because you're, you know, you're worried that, wow, I don't know if my child can handle that. I don't know if

Right.

the Sensory environment or if the social environment is appropriate. I don't know. You know, what if a meltdown happens? What if well, guess what? This is designed for that. Yes. Like, we're we're we're saying that's not that's not not only not, you know Yeah. That out of bounds, that's like inbounds.

That's That's part of it.

That's part of it. Yeah. That's why we're here.

We're expecting the kids to get triggered Yeah. In a in a hopefully, a fun way. I say that, you know, we're expecting because we want to be able to walk through with them what it looks like to calm themselves

Yes.

And to regulate. And so, like, we do have this tent room. I didn't mention that. Our tent room is kind of our quiet room. It's our calming corner, if you wanna call it. I don't like the word corner, to be honest with you. But Yeah. It's a calm a place to go to come. And there's pillows. There's books. There's coloring, there's blocks, there's Legos, and there's games. And that's an area, but we really wanna work to help their kids to know how to regulate once their lids have been flipped.

Right.

And so and of course, we've got some stories. But our our our goal is to really to not call the parent.

Yeah.

Yeah. And and we we we want to do what we can to to walk alongside, to partner with you, to help your child to learn to calm themselves by themselves.

Yeah. And and so, you know, the idea here is and and, again, you know, you're sending our kids to, you know, regular traditional camp environments. You know that they're gonna be, you know, probably music and lights and

Right.

You know, weird sensations and and textures and all kinds of things that are gonna be challenges for them. And and and the truth is, they're going to be those things that can't empower, but they're purposive.

Mhmm.

Like, they're well thought out about what texture but then how are we how are we helping them to know how to regulate their feelings and their emotions. Yeah. And and and doing that within the safety and security of a trained staff.

Right.

But also a buddy that's, like, right there with them and present. And, you know, it's it's it's a pretty it's a pretty incredible thing. And and and so, you know, as you said, we've been at this at Lifeline for about 6 years. You had a form of camp empower before that even, but but there's some things that have kinda grown up over time

Yes.

About Camp Empower And one of those things is is that it used to just happen here in Birmingham.

Mhmm.

And now, you've kinda taken the show on the road. Yeah. And so, Camp Empower is kinda out there in different places. Why don't you explain maybe talk about where Camp Empower is gonna be this summer Mhmm. But then also about what the whole reason is for why we're getting out of our you know, kind of out of our hometown and and beginning to spread camp and power in other places.

Yeah. So camp this summer is gonna be in, 3 different locations. We have a location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at Battle Creek Church, which is, just a really great opportunity because we're going that direction. You know? And we have one in Columbus, Georgia, and then we also are hosting 1 in, Asheville, North Carolina at Biltmore Church.

Yeah.

And so, so, yeah, we're really excited about it. And really the the the reasoning behind that is it it comes back to who Lifeline is. Lifeline, you know, is meant to, we're here to what? To equip the body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children. And so, our goal really is that equipping.

So so what we wanna do is we want to begin and we have begun to to work cooperatively with churches around the country for them to host a Camp Empower with us, with our team. And so we're coming alongside to do the training, provide the support. We we kinda provide everything, and it's sort of a turnkey experience, except you have to bring leadership folks to the table, and you have to bring the buddies and You know, the people that that that kinda help make camp happen.

That's right.

We'll be right there to make sure that everything's everything is is, you know, done well and safely and all the things that are necessary. But the goal is that we wanna do Camp Empower with you and and train your team to do that so that you can do Camp Empower next year by yourself.

Absolutely.

And and that you can continue to serve kids with learning differences and kids that have come from hard places, every summer, using the model for Camp Empower. And and I think, you know, our our big, hairy, audacious goal in all this is that that we we would love to see churches that become more open, more friendly places, to kids and families that that have, you know, some really profound differences.

Mhmm.

And, you know, and I think just being blunt, our our experience has been, in, you know, in in talking to our families and and and my I'll say my experience, Denise's experience, our experience as a family has been that sometimes church is the hardest place for us to go in our in our whole week.

That's right.

You know, with with kiddos that are, you know, that are coming from, you know, like having a struggle, coming from a hard place, dealing with, you know, with social emotional kinds of,

Right. Yeah. I was telling, you earlier, like, you know, the feedback that we've gotten even from our buddies, you know, over the years has been, we've had parents come back to us who whose children have been buddies and and have just said, hey. Thank you. You know, you have really equipped them to be better babysitters, to be better teachers.

Yeah. And it's you know, I when when we talk about Camp Empower and I know we talked, you know, a little bit more about the power play on our our last show, and and we, we talked about some of those things that we even do through Bridge and through, you know, through the other things that we do in, you know, tutoring and and, in our our other engagement with, with kids and families. But I almost think of Camp Empower as, like, either, like, the jumping off place or the booster shot. Right? Like, you like, you could get a you can get a big dose of of what the things are that we do in Bridge by spending 3 or 4 days, you know, engaged in Camp Empower.

Mhmm.

With that ongoing work and and, you know, engaging

Right.

Their kids in, you know, in the Mhmm. Cognitive fitness and Yeah. And social emotional learning kinds of things that we try to we try to engage them in.

Yeah. Yeah. That's that's that's that's huge. I mean, just to see, you know, just, again, raising that awareness and then of what, you know, what the brain can do Yeah. You know, and how we can change.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think I mean, you you said it beautifully. I mean, I think it's it's the it's taking that, you know, kind of almost resignation of hopelessness that it's like, hey, this is just the way it is. And and one of those things that we sometimes like that, it feels like a big loss, just to be honest with you, to to take things like summer camp off the, you know, off off the the the the list of options or the things that your kids are gonna experience because you just don't think that that's possible.

Mhmm.

And, and and we'll kinda do this 2 part. So one, they're sitting out there and they're saying, okay. I wanna get my child involved in Camp Empower this summer, but I don't live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I don't live in, you know, in in where

Asheville, Georgia.

Asheville Asheville, North Carolina or in Columbus, Georgia. What I do? Like, how how can I that didn't that's not close to me?

Yeah. Right. Yeah. I mean, there's a couple different things. You're welcome to join us in those locations. Each of those locations, each of those churches have said, hey. We we're we're we're are opening our door up, not for the whole camp, but Yeah. We have enough slots here that we would love to offer that opportunity to folks from out of town. And then we'll work with you. I mean, these churches are great.

Absolutely. And you can you can just email either just directly the info at lifelinechild.org. It'll make its way to Ann Maura, or you can look in the show notes, and we'll have information about how to contact her and and and ways that that she can be found. But but, yeah, truly, it it's not it's not a hard thing to be able to get started, and we have not yet started making plans fully for 2025. And so there's still room there's still room to be able to even consider for next year and, you know, going forward.

Yes.

You know, to to expand that. And, and and there are, you know, some keys to that, but one of those is getting, you know, getting good churches involved and and getting people in it that believe in it. I think, you know, I think the other thing just, you know, as we as we kind of wind in and close is, as as we think about the the potential for Camp Empower, One of the things I want to make sure we do is we invite folks and say, if you're if you're kind of indecisive

Right.

Like, there's there's no way I mean, if you can get to Tulsa, if you can get to Columbus, if you can, you know, if you can get to Asheville, North Carolina, nobody's gonna turn you away. Please let us know you're coming Don't just show up.

That's right.

But, but I know Ann Maura and and her team would love to host you and and be able to give you a little bit of a view. Also, there's some things we've got some camp videos and some things like that that that can be shared with you to help you to know a little bit more about what camp is. But, Ann Maura as we as we kinda wind down close, any last thing you want folks to know or think about or remember, about Camp Empower this summer?

Yeah. You know, I it, it's interesting, Rick, that you say that because one of the I read this morning something that said, I see God in stories. Mhmm. Right? And that's, to me, camp in power is where I get to see God

Yeah.

Work out. And I'll get teary eyed. Sorry. Magic mustache.

Magic mustache.

But I mean, over the years, I get to see God in camp and power Yeah. Through the stories of not only the campers, but also the buddies and the families. Yeah. So that's been that's been super encouraging and, you know, just thankful.

Yeah. Yeah. It's funny. I when you say that, I'm I'm sitting here and and we're we're actually have a gonna get to hang out a little bit with our friend Steven Curtis Chapman tonight. And I'm thinking about the song Fingerprints of God, you know, and like

Really make me cry now.

Being able to, like, really honestly, but but, like, being able to see God's handiwork and being able to see the, really, just the the specialness and and how kids that that may struggle, that may have differences, that may, that may not be like everybody else, that they're created in the image of God and worthy of dignity and and and are loved by God more than than we can ever imagine. And camp is one of those places where you, like, you just get to see that float to the surface in ways that are just beautiful and amazing. And, yeah. And so, if you're, if you're thinking about it, I'm gonna tell you, don't just think about it. Respond to it.

Yeah. Thanks, Rick.

Yeah. Thank you.

Excited about it. Well Hope to see you at camp.

Absolutely. And, come join us at camp, and, come join us back next week here on the Defender Podcast. We'll be continuing to talk about ways that, that the father has, enabled us and has given us opportunity to be able to serve orphan and vulnerable children and vulnerable families in ways that build the body of Christ, but but in ways that that really show the heart of our father. And, and so for that, we are incredibly thankful. We're thankful you've joined us.

Thanks for listening to the Defender Podcast. If you enjoy making this podcast a part of your weekly routine, we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, rate, and review the Defender podcast to make it easier for more people to find. For more information on how you and your church can partner with Lifeline, visit us at lifelinechild.org. If you want to connect with me, please visit herbynewell.com. Follow us at lifeline on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter by searching for Lifeline Child.