Winner
Samya Madhukar chose an Op-Doc video called “At ‘Grief Camp,’ Kids Learn to Process Loss Together” and wrote:
Yaren’s story is her own. So is mine.
I lost my father when I was 10. While outsiders vied for the mantle of mourning my father, I felt alone in my grief.
Ms. Raman and Mr. Slaets’ poignant op-doc reflects the complex journey of grieving children. Our grief is defined by sorrow, anger, guilt, and confusion. I continue to ask myself- why me? None of it makes sense.
Yaren’s words struck a chord with me, “I think it’s strange that it had to happen to us and that one of the most important people in our lives is suddenly gone and will never come back. And people tell you you need to learn to accept it. How do you even do that?”
In Fall 2019, I boarded a bus full of kids and went to my first camp nestled in the Adirondacks. I’m sure my parents thought their daughter’s first camp would be for sports. No, it certainly wasn’t. It was Camp Erin, a grief camp where I took my first steps toward healing.
The seemingly routine activities at camp stirred a sense of reassurance that I was not alone in my grief. On the memory hike, we etched our loved ones’ names on a rock. We made photo collages and memory boxes. We picked out our new teddy bears and handmade quilts. We paddled through the waves of grief on a canoe.
At twilight, we lit candles engraved with our loved ones’ names and watched as a raft carried them away. A single tear brushed my cheek as I saw my father’s name drifting away with it.