A three-day camp will provide children affected by hearing loss and their parents with education about their condition, emotional support, social support - and fun.
The Northern B.C. Children and Families Hearing Society is hosting the camp at Ness Lake Bible Camp Sept. 5-7.
"We'll often have several families from out of Prince George and from other communities where there's not that much support because the communities are so small that there's not many resources," said Tana Woodward, program coordinator. "So they come to the camp, get to meet other families and get to hear their experiences."
The camp, which has been operating at the same location for five years, is beneficial for both the children and parents attending.
"The parents, first of all, meet each other," Woodward said. "The ones with the younger children will learn from the ones with older children that have been through the same challenges as far as what kind of hearing aid, whether they should have cochlear implants, all of the medical options. So they learn from the other parents."
There's also a workshop being led by Lisa Meneian-Cecile, who's with the Provincial Outreach Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing. That will focus on the individual education plan that each student with a special need has made up for them.
"Often parents don't know how to approach that or what to ask for and so this is a good overview of what they're all about," Woodward said.
The children will be able to participate in badminton, climbing, canoeing and archery lessons, as well as making crafts, participating in a scavenger hunt, and listening to campfire stories. By seeing each other, the children can realize they are not alone.
"When [a child] lives in some of the smaller communities, they might be the only child that has any sort of hearing challenge and they can feel isolated and not realize that there are other children in the same situation," Woodward said. "We've actually had kids say that, impressed that they see another child wearing a hearing aid."
The cost of the camp is $125 per family, with travel grants available for out-of-town families that are in need. The registration deadline is Aug. 15. More information can be found at nbchearingsociety.com.
