RUTLEDGE, Ga. — A summer camp in Georgia is working to end generational incarceration by offering refuge to the children of prisoners.
Tucked into the woods in Rutledge, Camp Hope has welcomed 206 campers this summer. The camp is organized by Atlanta nonprofit Kidz2Leaders.
“If you have an incarcerated parent, you're three times more likely than your peers to be involved with the criminal justice system," said Christina Cummings, the nonprofit's executive director. "We want that to change, to change the trajectory of kids lives.”
Cummings said while each camper has a shared experience of trauma, they don't make a big deal of it at Camp Hope.
"The families that we serve are going through unimaginable circumstances, they've had unimaginable trauma in their lives," she said. "We want to support them through that, but it's not the focus. The focus is safety and fun."
Camp Hope is free for campers, who get to enjoy canoeing, rock climbing, art, music, swimming, archery and more during their week-long stay.
“When I’m at camp hope I feel safe," said Christoff Williams, a rising 7th grader who attended camp this summer. “I know no matter what I’m not going to be judged here.”
Williams said he's soaking in the opportunity to escape.
“Sometimes you just need a break," he said. "I've been going through some stuff.”
Many of the counselors, like Armani Kelly, were once campers themselves. She said it feels full circle that she has returned that she was meant to be back there.
Kelly said she first came to camp when she was 9-years-old.
“At the time I didn’t know I needed it," she said. "We don't dwell on the fact that our parents or guardians are incarcerated.”
As she grew older, Kelly explained she came to realize just how much she needed the escape Camp Hope offered.
“It kept me out of trouble in a sense, and gave me somewhere positive to go," she said. Having an incarcerated parent, something very important is taken away from you. It was very saddening and a lot of times I kind of lost hope. Camp Hope changed my life for the better."
Former camper Nicholas Kato also returned as a counselor this summer.
“My father was incarcerated for many reasons, I first came here when I was nine years old," he said. "I just saw it as a way to escape the real world, the arrogance, the anger, the frustration. If I didn't have Camp Hope, I probably would not be here, literally.”
Camp Hope offers the week-long camp to two different age groups. Their Teen Leadership Camp is for teens 13 and up. Cornerstone Camp is for children between 8 and 12 years old.
Many, like Williams, start at age 8 and attend every summer.
“Coming to Camp Hope is like escaping from those problems and just having fun and focusing on you," Williams said. "I get to be my own person."
To learn more about Camp Hope or register, click here.