New Families Camp

This introductory program is a 2-day camp (not overnight) for children and teens (and the adults who support them) who have experienced the death of a sibling, parent or primary caregiver. Run by skilled professionals and passionate, well-trained volunteers, our New Families Camp is a safe place for families to learn that grief is a natural, healthy, response to loss and offers the opportunity to connect with other families experiencing the same thing.

Lionheart offers this program free of charge in the Perth Metro area several times a year. Proposed dates for 2025 camps are:

February 22 & 23
April 5 & 6 (this camp will be held in the Peel region)
July 5 & 6
October 25 & 26

Follow the link below to register your interest and our Family Liaison Officer will be in touch.

Our New Family Camp provides a safe, fun-filled space for children to explore and understand their grief through a series of group activities. While the age range of attendees is 5-17 years, children are organised into smaller groups of similar ages to complete activities such art & crafts, question-and-answer style discussions, games, problem-solving, experiments and yoga. For teens there are opportunities to utilise peer support and engage in conversation about the difficulties associated with grieving while also navigating adolescence.

BUILDING LIONHEARTS

"A lionheart is a person of exceptional courage and bravery” - The Collins Dictionary.

At camp, our focus is always on building lionhearts and we aim to do this in the following ways:

Helping children and their supporting adults understand the process of grief.
Normalising the grief process for children and increase their awareness of loss as a natural part of living.
Helping children to identify with the spectrum of emotions associated with the death of a parent or sibling; and to share or express emotions in a healthy, constructive way.
Providing the opportunity to connect with other children experiencing the death of a sibling or parent.
Strengthening parents’ and caregivers’ knowledge and skills in how to support their grieving children, while also managing their own emotions following the death of a partner or child
Minimising the negative impacts of childhood bereavement on longer-term physical and mental health, education, employment and lifestyle.
Ensuring that no child grieves alone.

EDUCATION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

Strengthening the whole family is how significant and sustainable change happens in the home, which is why adults are invited to attend camp for the full 2 days along with their children.

We walk our adults through the information that is being shared with the children, so all family members are equipped with the same skills needed to have difficult conversations, express their grief and understand what grief looks like. Adults are also supported to understand and navigate their own grief while simultaneously supporting their child with theirs.

In the week following camp, we run a 1.5 hour webinar for extended family members, neighbours, friends, football coaches and anyone else who might be supporting the family in their grief journey. During the webinar, participants will learn about the information that has been shared during camp as well as helpful tips on how they can support the grieving family in their life. A Q+A session with our bereavement professionals is also offered at the conclusion of the webinar.

Lionheart relies on the generosity of community donations, corporate sponsorships and grants so that we can offer this foundational program to grieving families free of charge. It costs our organisation approximately $1000 per child to facilitate this program so if you are in a position to support a child on their grief journey by making a donation, you can trust your contribution is helping to build little lionhearts.