For more than 20 years, a South Australian program has been helping children deal with the loss of a loved one, running 'grief camps' to help people learn how to cope with their trauma. But organisers are now confronting a volunteer shortage, which could affect the future of the camps.
00:00 When Sarah Powell's mum died in 2012, the then 14-year-old felt alone in her grief.
00:07 I felt as though I couldn't really connect in with other kids because I didn't know any other kids besides my brother who had had a parent pass away.
00:19 But attending a camp along with others facing similar challenges helped her to deal with her trauma.
00:25 Being able to go on this camp, meet kids who were in a similar position to me was so beneficial and really helped me in processing my grief.
00:36 That camp was a program run by Anglicare called Star Bear which aims to teach people how to cope with loss and grief through mentoring and therapeutic activities.
00:46 I got to make a memory box which I got to put lots of mum's stuff into the box which is something really special to help me reflect on.
00:56 If you're not given a healthy way to grieve and actually express that grief then I think that can build up and can be a struggle for many, many years to come.
01:05 A book she always used to read to me when I was little.
01:08 Now, Ms Powell has returned to the program as a mentor.
01:13 I just kept on reflecting about how positive the camp was for me and wanting to go back and help.
01:20 The program is run by volunteers like Ms Powell but like many other not-for-profits, finding enough people to keep things running is proving tricky, prompting a plea for more people to get involved.
01:32 It's super rewarding. It can be very emotional. There's very rarely a dry eye in the house.
01:39 Sharing compassion, comfort and community at a time of great need.
