Young with Freedom to Be
posted: 25/01/2011
If you enjoy the joy of others, read some of the glowing comments from young people with HIV who attended the summer camp for HIV positive teenagers in August.
‘It was the best time of my life, I felt free’. We, and Barnardo’s Gregory’s Place, were keen to see as many young people from NW England enjoy and benefit from this camp as possible.
We did well - a quarter of the young people at the camp travelled from NW England – very many more than from any other region, apart from London.
Camp Freedom2 Be
Freedom to Be (F2B) was the first summer camp for HIV+ teenagers in the UK. It was in mid August, using a school in SE England, for 79 young people aged 13-17.
The camp was a mix of
- workshops about living with HIV,
- outdoor and leadership activities designed to develop confidence and overcome fears, and
- social and leisure activities.
Take-Away Support
Friendships with others young people with HIV were much encouraged so people would go home with a HIV support network of other teenagers after the camp.
We expected big benefits from being able to talk openly with other positive youth about shared experiences of living with HIV. We wanted self esteem to blossom and lead to better self-care, including better treatment taking, better school results, and clearer hopes and plans for the future.
Overwhelmingly positive camp
Young people were overwhelmingly positive about the camp and its impact on their lives. The teenagers at camp were happy to have gained new friends, to have spent time in a welcoming, open and understanding atmosphere, and to have many of their questions about living with HIV answered.
At least three quarters attending reported real benefits and life changes. Two-thirds of participants now discuss HIV with family and friends more since being at camp. The overwhelming majority have stayed in contact with other young people they met at camp.
A life-changing milestone
- The best days of my life time. (16 year old)
- An amazing time getting to know that there is a lot of people who have HIV not only me, and making friends who have the same illness as me was more fun than anything else. (14 year old)
In our own words
- That I can be myself without having to worry what’s wrong. (14 year old)
- I’m more capable of doing something than I thought I was. (16 year old)
- That I don’t have to hide from anyone. (16 year old)
- Yes, I have learned more about my rights which I didn’t know. (17 year old)
- Very good because I got to make new friends and meet new people and adults that have HIV. (17 year old)
- Because when I came back home I felt good that I did because at the camp it was like everyone was just the same as me and basically I had to accept that I have HIV. It actually lifted me up instead of me stay[ing] scared of what was going to happen through my future. (14 year old)
- Fun, I learned things I didn’t know. (13 year old)
The overwhelming impression was that even when people complained about the bedtimes, rules and school buildings, the camp was such a positive and affirming experience.
- ‘I got to meet people with the same thing as me, because where I live it just felt like it was just me’
- ‘I learned that I can be confident and I can do a lot of things I didn’t know I could do
I learnt ....
- Different jobs you can do or not do. (14 year old)
- Your rights during sex. (14 year old)
- How not to pass the virus. (17 year old)
- That I can have children with[out] affecting them. (16 year old)
- Not to worry what others think. (13 year old)
- I feel more positive about my future. (15 year old)
- You can still succeed in life no matter what you have. (16 year old)
- How to tell people – that helped me tell my boyfriend. (15 year old)
Summer Camp 2011?
There are plans (if funding can be raised) for another summer camp this year. CHIVA Summer Camp 2011
Evaluation report F2B from Sigma Research
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