When a parent goes to jail, it can turn a child’s world upside down.
Some 4,700 Vermont kids — one in every 25 — know what that’s like.
For many kids, parental incarceration is a destabilizing, stressful and isolating experience. And the stigma surrounding it all can make it tough to talk about.
For 20 years, Camp Agape has offered some respite.
The weeklong sleepaway camp in Plymouth opens every summer for Vermont kids, ages 8-12, who have (or have had) an incarcerated parent. There, kids do all the usual summer camp stuff alongside other kids who can relate.
When you’re here, you can just be yourself. You don’t have to hide like you have to do at school sometimes.
Nicholas, camper, age 10
Eleven-year-old Jayden has been coming to camp for four years. (We’re only using camper