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The Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (TRC) in Ramallah, in the West Bank, organizes a free summer camp to rehabilitate traumatized children. The camp offers recreational, artistic, and rehabilitative activities intended to help children deal with their personal traumas and fears, and support one another.

The Israeli military has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and ongoing violence in the region has affected the whole Palestinian population psychologically, creating a culture dominated by violence. Born into oppressive and stressful living conditions, most of the children in the West Bank have witnessed atrocities.

TRC established its summer camp to alleviate some of the hardships that these children are facing and provide a setting for rehabilitative care. TRC promotes the camps in nearby villages, in refugee camps, and among clients that TRC treats. Most of the children selected (about 60-70) are those who suffer symptoms of anxiety, depression, or loneliness because of their exposure to trauma, i.e. death or torture of family members.

The summer camp meets daily for four to five hours, for three to four weeks. Transportation is provided to and from the camp. Most often, the camp is located close to where the children live. The participating children are divided into groups based on the level of or kind of trauma they have suffered. Each child has a personal mentor that is there to personally assist, listen, counsel, and integrate the child into the group of other children. Each child also has access to a psychiatrist, psychologist, and social worker. The first and last three days of the summer camp are usually dedicated to projects such as drawing, artwork, and sports. During the drawing project, children are asked to draw pictures representing their environments or hopes for the future. Most often, these initial drawings portray dark images or colors. The rest of the days are focused on group work, such as group dynamics and counseling, play and art therapy. All files, medical reports, and changes in behavior are kept for the evaluation and impact of the summer camp on the child.

Based on evaluation forms filled out by parents and counselors, many children have come out of the summer camp with fewer anxiety symptoms, less violent behaviors, more openness, and more integration into their communities. In addition, final drawings show a change in attitude and hope towards the future.

The camps give the children an opportunity to step out of the violence of their day-to-day lives and explore different ways of dealing with trauma without using violence themselves. The camps also offer a release for children, a place where they can come to express themselves through play and art, while at the same time receiving rehabilitative services.

Photo: IRCT