
Life Empowerment Seminar
Charting a path to a bright future
An important part of the Camp To Belong camp experience is Life Empowerment Seminar. Life Seminar is specifically designed to help campers 14-18 learn about some of the many possibilities for their future and help them take some of their first steps toward it. For many of these young people, Life Seminar provides the first realization that fulfilling their dreams for the future is not only possible, but also that support is available.
Speakers from universities, trade schools, the military and the community highlight the program. Also featured are successful former youth in care, who tell inspirational stories of how they overcame obstacles to realize their potential. At Life Seminar, teens also learn about scholarship and grant programs for youth in care, and they receive advice for obtaining financial aid to pursue higher education, whether it is in a college, community college or trade school. Campers also take an aptitude test to determine which careers best match their aptitudes and interests.
An important feature of Life Seminar is the underlying message of hope and empowerment it carries: “Foster care does not define who you are and is only temporary. You get to write the rest of your life story.”
The emphasis is on the underlying strength and resilience of young people who already have weathered so many storms. As Camp To Belong Founder Lynn Price likes to remind them, "They are victors, not victims."
