Camp Brave Heart

Children and teens who are grieving can experience a sense of isolation as they struggle with deep and complicated feelings. Often, they do not know anyone one else who has suffered a similar loss.

Camp Brave Heart is a bereavement camp offered at no cost for children and teens who are grieving the death of someone important in their life. It is a fun, high-energy camp combined with grief education, peer bonding, and emotional support led by grief support professionals and trained volunteers.

Camp Brave Heart is a 4 day/3 night camp at John Knox Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The camp is free of charge and open to children and teens who are grieving the death of someone important in their life. Through shared recreational and therapeutic activities, we help campers learn they are not alone as well as skills to cope with their grief as they go forward.

Over the course of four days filled with recreational and therapeutic activities, campers hear each other’s stories, explore their grief in a safe and understanding environment, and learn ways to help them cope with their loss.

Camp Brave Heart 2023 is approaching!  If you are interested in applying for a child or teen to attend, please thoroughly read the information below before completing an application.

Thank you for your interest in Hospice Austin’s Camp Brave Heart! Camp Brave Heart is a 4 day/3 night camp at John Knox Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. The camp is free of charge and open to children and teens who are grieving the death of someone important in their life. Through shared recreational and therapeutic activities, we help campers learn they are not alone as well as skills to cope with their grief as they go forward.

Camp is Wednesday, June 7th through Saturday, June 10th. This is an overnight camp.

Camp Brave Heart 2023 is for children and teens who are in 1st – 12th grades in the 2022-2023 school year.

Campers are accepted on a first come first serve basis, however the following children will be given priority:
– Have never attended Camp Brave Heart or 2018’s Camp Erin Central Texas
– Have only had the chance to attend Camp Brave Heart virtually (2020 or 2021)
– Have attended Camp Brave Heart and experienced another death since attending

If a child or teen has attended in a previous year and they do not fall into a category above, they will be placed on a waitlist. Any remaining camper spots will be offered to these applicants on May 24th. Space will depend on age groups that have room for additional campers. Please apply as soon as possible if you have a return camper to get their name on the waitlist.

Please complete one application for each child. The application must be fully complete before you are able to submit it. The application will take about 15-20 minutes to complete. We are unable to hold spots for those whose applications are incomplete. Application deadline is Monday, May 22nd. Camp fills up, so please submit applications as soon as possible.

Please allow us up to two weeks to process the application. After review of the application, we will determine if Camp Brave Heart can provide your child a positive camp experience. If we need more information to make this determination, families may be asked to meet virtually or in-person with a Camp Brave Heart team member.

We will notify you by email of your child’s acceptance to camp. The acceptance email will provide additional information regarding camp drop off/pick up details. Transportation is provided from Northwest Austin. We will send a second email in May that contains information including a packing list, departure/arrival times, locations & maps. Applicable release and consent forms will be sent electronically prior to camp and must be signed in order for the child to participate.

We will continue to monitor COVID-19 in the time leading up to Camp Brave Heart. Campers are not required to have received the COVID-19 vaccine, however protective measures such as health screening in the weeks before camp and a negative test may be required. We will make these decisions as well as other safety measures as we get closer to camp.

Applications available starting March 1st here. Please call or email for Spanish application link. 

If you have any questions about Camp Brave Heart, please contact:
Bereavement Supervisor Maggie Cochran at 512-342-4784; mcochran@hospiceaustin.org
Bereavement Assistant Esmeralda Huerta at 512-342-4760; ehuerta@hospiceaustin.org
Las dos hablan español.

Camp Brave Heart is provided to families free of charge due in large part to the financial support of generous donors.

Hospice Austin offers additional bereavement support services for children, teens and adults. If you would like further information about our resources or other grief resources in the community, please call 512-342-4700 or click here.

Camp Brave Heart 2022
To see pictures from the 2022 camp, please click here.

Check out CBS Austin’s story last year on Camp Brave Heart!

A Letter from a Camper

I went to Camp Brave Heart honestly thinking it wouldn’t help. Then I got to camp. It was ok to cry, ask questions, tell people how you really felt. We did things that helped me understand what I was feeling. And there was nothing awkward when you said “My _____ passed,” because we all understood the feeling well enough in order to not make someone else feel it. At Camp Brave Heart, I also made lifetime bonds with four friends who also lost their dads. We meet up on holidays, birthdays, any day we can really, and my little brother does the same with his friends he made at camp. Thank you for letting me tell you how Camp Brave Heart has helped me even now when I’m 14.

Have a nice day,
Madison

Madison attended camp when she was 12 and wrote this letter at 14. After turning 18, Madison volunteered at Camp Brave Heart for several summers to help other children cope with losing someone they love.