Sunshine Coast camp creates a safe space for kids coping with HIV
For Maria, summer camp resulted in deep connections with kids who became lifelong friends, some of whom attended her recent wedding. What really bonded her to those friends, says the 25-year-old, was the freedom Camp Moomba provided her to be herself.
“I remember our first conversation about disclosing my HIV status in a conversation at camp. From that moment I had friends for life,” said Maria, who became positive after mother-to-child transmission when she was born.
Now a group leader at Camp Moomba, the Sunshine Coast summer camp that for 21 years has provided a safe space for kids between the ages of six and 17 whose lives have been affected by HIV.
Maria said she is blown away by “just how far medication has taken us.”
There are fewer positive children every year at camp, said Maria, thanks to antiretroviral therapy. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, youth represent about 25 per cent of HIV cases across Canada and approximately 350 youth are living with HIV in B.C.
Archery, swimming, sailing, beadwork, hiking, arts and having a good time are official camp activities, along with wellness and HIV education, explained Sarah Chown, executive director of YouthCo, an organization that works with youth to reduce the impact of HIV and hep C stigma.
“HIV stigma is the biggest challenge people living with HIV face because it makes it really hard to talk openly. For many families, Camp Moomba is one of the only places they can talk openly about HIV because there is so much misinformation,” said Chown.
“One thing that’s so hard for many of our campers is that they get really accurate HIV information in a medical setting, then those kids go to school or hear a TV show or parent of a friend talk about it based on outdated information.”
Campers aren’t required to disclose their status, but Valerie Nicholson, a Mi’kmaw elder who provides Indigenous leadership at the camp, is open about living with HIV, which creates a safe space for others who want to ask questions or open up.
Over the years Nicholson has lost friends and family, and even been refused medical treatment due to her status. So when a kid shares their fears or questions with her she opens her heart as well as her ear.
“At camp we can go for a walk and sit and talk about it,” she said, whether the issue is being excluded from a friend’s birthday party or coping with the challenge of taking daily medication,” said Nicholson.
“Somebody asked me if I could, would I go back in time and change my diagnosis, and I said no,” said Nicholson, “because that would mean I wouldn’t be working with these amazing kids.”
The message she imparts to every camper who copes with HIV is simple: “We are people, we want to be accepted, we want to be loved and it is our right to have those things in our lives.”
Camp Moomba relies largely on donations to provide opportunities for children to attend. To make a donation, go to youthco.org/moomba.