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NYC'S HOMELESS CHILDREN EXPERIENCE GREAT OUTDOORS - 12 August, 2008
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City Limits WEEKLY
Week of: August 11, 2008
Number: 652
NYC'S HOMELESS CHILDREN
EXPERIENCE GREAT OUTDOORS
Some kids from shelters enjoyed nature in camps this summer. > By Lauren Victory
Of the nearly 14,000 homeless children in New York City, a lucky few will experience life beyond concrete and congestion this summer, thanks to camp programs that get them out of the urban norm and into the great outdoors.
Since 1989, Homes for the Homeless, a homeless services provider that operates several shelters in New York City, has run three camps – Lanowa, Wakonda and Kiwago – just a short drive upstate. This summer HFH offered three sessions, each about two weeks long. When operating at full capacity, the camps can serve up to 1,000 of the city's homeless children per summer, says camp services coordinator Dona Anderson.
Free of charge to those on public assistance and eligible for public child care, these camps are designed for 7- to 13- year-olds from all five boroughs, uniquely catering to those currently living in shelters, recent shelter dwellers, children living in foster care and others living on public assistance—many of whom who have never experienced the "real" outdoors. Registration for camp begins as early as March each year, led by a team of recruiters who advertise in shelters, foster care agencies and after school programs around the city.
Located approximately 50 miles north of New York City in Harriman State Park, these leafy camps contain enough flora and fauna to make an impression on the youngsters. Camp Lanowa itself sits on Upper Twin Lake and boasts 20 camper cabins, a frog pond, a climbing wall, a swimming hole and campfire pits.
"There is value in exposing children to a natural environment. The simple act of walking in a green space, learning about the cycle of nature—a lot of kids, rich or poor, don't experience that," said Ellen Hart-Shegos, a nonprofit consultant who has studied the effects of homelessness on children. "If they don't have access to a pleasant, stress-free natural environment and all they know is concrete, then we can all understand how that might impact their social, emotional, and physical health," she added.
Kenna Burch, a 20-year-old from Idaho serving as Camp Lanowa's nature specialist this summer, conducts nature walks, accompanies children at the frog pond, helps them find water dwellers like bullfrogs and crayfish, picks berries for snacks, and of course, fields hundreds of questions—anything from "Do alligators live in the pond?" to what to feed newfound creepy-crawly friends. "It's amazing to experience firsthand what they are seeing for the first time," said Burch.
First-time camper Myaisha, 13, from East New York in Brooklyn said the frogs and toads were a favorite part of camp for her. She wasn't particularly fond of either rocks or darkness, however. "At nighttime, it's like boom! – a rock. You can see in the city," said Myaisha, who speculated she would have been "watching TV and drinking soda" if she were not at summer camp.
More than one staff member at Camp Lanowa said the reaction of the campers to nature is somewhat mixed, but their affinity for it tends to grow over the course of their stay in the woods.
"A lot of kids get freaked out. They push, shove, and fight ... and then all of a sudden they're holding hands in the pond," said Burch, the nature specialist. "Or with hikes, they complain the entire way but then they'll cross paths with a deer and think it is the most beautiful thing they've seen."
Maceo, a 10-year-old first-year camper from Brooklyn, said he didn't like the flies, but enjoyed hanging out with his new friends, playing sports, and participating in activities held in the learning center, which include listening to music and conducting simple experiments and observations, such how many pebbles it takes to sink a boat.
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"A lot of the kids are a year or two behind in school. We try to make education viewed as something that is fun – so catching frogs here can lead to looking at a frog in a book during biology class back home," said Laura Henrich, Lanowa's director for the past 19 years. At the camp's learning center, kids often work on their journal – a sort of take-home memory book – in which they can write, color and draw their impressions of camp.
Campers also get to take home their creations from the arts and crafts center – like masks, baskets, beads, and tie-dyed items – a favorite of longtime camper Denita. The 13-year-old from the Bronx hopes to return next year as a kitchen worker, since this is her last year as a camper. She says seven years of camp has taught her that fighting is not always the solution.
Lifeguard Lucy Garton, hailing all the way from England, said scuffles among the children are somewhat of a regular occurrence, but are usually handled through calm conversation. The camps do not offer any therapeutic services but, as part of their training, staffers are briefed with information about conflict resolution and handling behavioral issues. "There's a lot of listening and talking about the problem – breaking it down and talking it out – to have the child understand why they strayed and how to prevent it in the future," said Henrich.
Harriman State Park in Rockland County also is home to Camp Homeward Bound, a similar program run by the Coalition for the Homeless. Kim McCall, director of development for the Coalition, praises the camps as a welcome change of pace for the youths. "Kids are able to come out of their shells at camp. They put on a tough guard living in shelters and on the streets, but they can just be kids at camp."
But lack of funding kept one of HFH's three camps – Camp Kiwago, which is for 10- to 13-year-olds – out of commission this summer. Camp staffers anticipate it reopening next summer, after some careful budgetary planning. As it costs anywhere from $600 to $1,000 to send one child to a camp session, Homes for the Homeless relies on its annual budget ($285,000 this summer for the two camps) – which it receives from the Administration for Children's Services via the Human Resources Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program, and private donations – to fund all camp operating costs.
New York City's Department of Homeless Services views these summer camps as a welcome enrichment for homeless youth. "Programs that can provide fun, interesting and exciting activities for children are performing a good service. This particularly is so during the summer, when kids like to go outdoors, swim, play sports or just go exploring," DHS spokesman Eric Deutsch wrote in an e-mail. "Every DHS shelter for families with children has a summer plan. These include activities both at the shelter and off-site, such as going on picnics or to the park or seeing plays. Each shelter also has a Department of Education liaison, who connects children to day camps throughout the city, for free."
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Once back in the city, it is hoped that the children will continue to participate in a variety of programs – after school, arts, athletic, educational and mentoring, to name a few – says Aurora Zepeda, executive director of the Institute for Children and Poverty, the research policy arm of Homes for the Homeless.
"Not only is this [camp] just beneficial because it gives healthy challenges and allows the children to learn, grow, explore, be curious, and make friends, it oftentimes is all they need to be reconnected, to take ownership of their education and growth," said Zepeda, who also serves as the executive vice president of Homes for the Homeless.
Henrich, who anticipates returning as the Camp Lanowa's director for her 20th consecutive summer, concurred. "I've done it for so long because I still find it amazing and rewarding that these kids not have to worry about traffic and influences in the city and can come to the country and be able to play, grow, and learn."
- Lauren Victory
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