Our interview with Henry helped us realize that sometimes we can feel like we’re the only ones going through the tough times. We encourage you to let yourself ask for help if you need it.  Try to figure out what it is that would help you the most and find a way to get it. A majority of the time, achieving something requires you to ask for help even if you don’t want it.

Unstuck

       With Henry                    Golde

Henry Golde is a Holocaust survivor who regularly speaks at Camp HOPE to the teenagers. He was taken to a concentration camp when he was just eleven years old and was liberated by the Russians five years later. He speaks to campers about his terrifying experience facing death every day.  The Henry Golde message is simple:

                HATE is nothing;

                LOVE is everything.

 We decided to ask Henry this question-

    Q: Describe one of the more traumatic times in your life when you felt lost or sad, and explain what helped you get out of that situation.

    A: “After the war, we were liberated by the Russians. They were nice to us at first. This was when I was in Czechoslovakia. They tried to get us to go to Russia, but nobody wanted to go. For five years we were told where to go and what to do and now they said, ‘you’re free’. I lost my family. It was a traumatic experience, and I was in a melancholy state. They took me to a doctor and he said that I would have to get out of it myself. The 300 of us, all 15-16 years old,  went to England together and became a kind of a family. I would say that being together with people going through the same situation is what helped me cope with the loss of my family.”

            

More words from Henry:

 

   

We also asked, “What is your favorite part of Camp HOPE?”

   

 

   He told us that “I think I get more out of Camp HOPE than I put in. I come away from camp rejuvenated. There is so much devotion from all the people at camp– there is so much love.”

 

Journaling can be very soothing.  It is a great way to record how you feel, and it gives you the chance to put down on paper what you are thinking so you can reflect on it later. Pulling out those #2’s helps you to review your emotions and understand what is going on in your head when you feel like ripping your hair out.

 

Remember that you can draw and doodle too— no limits!

Make a list of the

people, places, or things

that are the most important to

you in the story about the person

you loved who died.

Help!

Remember that you are not alone and people are willing to help if you let them and can tell them what you need.

If you came to camp you started a journal. Here is your chance to fill in some of those blank pages.