At this Tierrasanta summer camp, the word of the day is honesty.
About a dozen campers, seated in a circle, aren’t telling scary stories or playing duck-duck-goose. These kids, ages 7 to 8 years old, are talking about how to deal with their feelings responsibly.
It’s part of the program at Operation Camp Hero, a month-long camp that’s offered for free to enlisted families in San Diego.
“Sometimes it’s hard for military children to understand the cycles of deployment,” said YMCA spokesperson Brittany Catton. “We bring them in here to do coping and self-esteem training.”
The Armed Services YMCA Youth and Community Team has run the camp for two years.
For one week, the children work in the classroom and on field trips learning the skills needed to cope with the disruption that can come with having a parent overseas.
“Giving them a chance to relax and be a kid before the school year starts may help them really succeed in the school year,” Catton said.
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The current sessions are booked. Parents who may be interested in applying for the next round of camp dates, can check online to apply.
