Looking back, Hidden Road Initiative's Summer 2023 camp experience was one of the best days of my summer.

From laughing our hearts out to crying our eyes out, the five days that I spent there left a huge impact on me. From making life-long friends, and building a great bond with the kids. Having my class as a safe space for the kids allowed them to talk about everything and anything, and built a trusting bond between us, hence allowing them to open up about their sorrows.

This summer, 71 students from 13 different border villages were invited to Hankavan to participate in the camp and attend a variety of classes taught by different volunteers.

Frontline Therapists had been working with many of the students from this village since the 2022 September conflict. For this summer, I was invited to teach “Self-Care class”. This was the first time in 14 years where camp was not held in their home villages due to the constant threat of war. So it was very important that we had full time social worker / counselor in camp.

There are still traces of war in every corner and especially inside all of us. To this very day, borders are not safe, and the kids living in Armenia and Artsakh are in constant fear of any intense sounds.

I'm so thankful to the Hidden Roads initiative for allowing me to stand by these kids and sharing what I have learned with them.