Camp Dreamcatcher continues to aim high

Patty Hilkirk, founder, and executive director of Camp Dreamcatcher had a vision 28 years ago of providing a summer camp and seasonal support for youth impacted by HIV/ AIDS. During these twenty-eight years, Patty’s dream has been actualized beyond her dreams.

Providing a “safe place” for stepping out of secrecy and into a space of unconditional acceptance and love is the primary aim of Camp Dreamcatcher’s week-long summer camp and other programming. Those dealing with HIV/ AIDS infection of a family member or have suffered the loss of a family member due to an AIDS related complications are the recipients of Camp Dreamcatcher’s services.

During their Trauma-informed summer camp session, there are mental health assessments, therapy, and educational sessions along with recreational activities. In 2023, the camp had 56 Counselors accompanying the Camp Leadership Team along with volunteers made-up of 217 counselors, medical personnel, professionals and community members. The volunteers provided 13,240 hours of service.

To better express “diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging”, Camp Dreamcatcher capitalized on the pause that the pandemic presented and spent time with a consultant to look at factors in their services that needed improvement.

They were quickly able to see they needed more staff of color, who would better represent 98% of their campers. They included the campers in giving feedback; developed more diversity materials and purchased new books featuring people of color, all focused on restorative justice.

After summer camp was completed, they again conscientiously examined how they did and looked for areas of change. They are pleased to say that they won a Seal of Approval from S’ more Melanin, which is an organization that promotes equitable camp experiences for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

As an extension for going deeper to serve their clients, this non-profit organization provided extensive training to the staff and volunteers to live out their values of being trauma informed and equipped with restorative practices. Patty and others are certified trainers for Restorative Practices.

Patty speaks about the hands-on approach this training provides. At camp, after training, each person on site is wearing a lanyard with a laminated guide made up of restorative questions to quickly refer to when responding to a conflict on the spot. The questions are: 1) What happened, and what were you thinking at the time of incident? 2) What have you thought about since? 3) Who has been affected by what happened and how? 4) What about this has been the hardest for you? 5) What do you think needs to be done to make things a right as possible?

Along with the above approach to conflict during the day, the camp counselors hold nightly “Cabin Circles, creating a space that lifts barriers between people, circles open the possibility for connection, collaborations, problem solving and mutual understanding.

One counselor reflected on conducting Cabin Circles, “It was shockingly effective and easy to incorporate.” Another counselor said, “It worked really well. It gave the campers a chance to express themselves comfortably and not having to worry about getting judged. I feel a lot of our issues went smoothly using this method.”

The Camp Dreamcatcher team is so passionate about restorative practices that they are offering to the community the opportunity to sign-up for trainings. There are options of an Introduction to Restorative Practices (RP) for One 2-hour session. The other is an Intro and Deeper Dive into RP with One 2-hour session and One 4-hour session.

The trainings may be offered virtually for 10 participants capacity and In-person 20 participants capacity.

Restorative Practices are designed to be implemented in any organization, e.g. non-profits, faith communities and service clubs and can be easily applied to all environmental settings. Anyone interested in providing the training for one’s organization contact Patty at: phillkirk@campdreamcatcher.org

Some organizations in our community are leading the way towards a more peaceful, progressive, and inclusive community; Camp Dreamcatcher is certainly one of them with its camp mission and offering of Restorative Practices training to the broader community. Camp Dreamcatcher also has a natural plan for continuance of its mission. As campers grow up, many times supported with college scholarships, they are returning and taking on professional roles to keep the services alive and well.

Patty writes many grants throughout the year to financially support Camp Dream- catcher along with community fundraisers. Their rappelling event last year was a huge success with 44 persons who rappel a high building in town brought in $71,000. Their 2nd Catching Dreams Over the Edge event will be held on September 28th with the hope to raise over $100,000.

This year the camp will be held August 18-24, with free therapeutic and educational programs for their 120 plus participants. They are recruiting full and part-time volunteers and promise a worthwhile experience. To sign-up: campdream@campdreamcatcher.org

PHOTO COURTESY OF PATTY HILKIRK Patty Hilkirk is seen with two special camp volunteers, including Lakeisha, right, who was one of the first campers in 1996.