The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a group of teens who have attended Experience Camps and care deeply about helping the public understand how to better support grief. YAB members share insights about grief and reflections from their own experience to inform our programming, initiatives, campaigns and overall approach to supporting childhood grief. Who better to hear from when it comes to childhood grief than youth themselves? Learn more about these extraordinary members, why they joined YAB, and they feel it’s important that our society get better about talking about grief.
Our application period for the 2026-27 Youth Advisory Board is currently closed.
Advisory Team & Content Team
I understand how deeply the loss of a loved one can impact someone’s life, and I want to help make that journey a little easier for as many people as I can, even if it’s in a small way.
— Riya
Learning how to speak about death and listen to others share their personal stories about death has been extremely important and healing for me.
— Teelin
I want to help Experience Camps the way they have helped me. I want to help give an indepth look on how the children and community members of camp perceive it and what we can do better.
— Lexi
Grief shouldn’t be a scary word but everyone makes it seem like it is by isolating the ones going through it. To spread the word is to help those going through it feel connected and normal.
— Charlee
I really want everyone to have people to talk about their grief with. I really want to help people have someone to talk to and not keep it all bottled up.
— Katie
I enjoy helping others, sharing ideas, and being involved in my community. I’m excited for the opportunity to help make Experience Camps better for kids.
— Lola
I have seen camp expand and blossom throughout these years, and it has improved so much. I know this camp inside and out and have many thoughts on how to improve and benefit it.
— Nolo
I think it would be great to have a way to be a part of Experience Camps all year long. I would really enjoy being a part of something where I can see the outcome of what others and I have worked on.
— Meyer
I believe that it is important for people to talk about their grief because without talking about it people can feel like they are the only one going through this anc an feel alone.
— Nico
Society needs to view grieving as a normal aspect of life as so many people are going through the same struggle.
— Sydney
It’s important for people to recognize that grief is not some taboo topic and that a lot of grievers appreciate sharing their stories or not.
— Ellen
I joined to share my experience and thoughts on grief!
— Jonah
Grief is usually shoved under a rug. No matter how long it has been, your grief will still be there, and while it evolves, and changes as you grow, it will still affect you in different ways throughout your life.
— Nico
Camp has impacted my life in the best ways possible, and I want to be able to share the word. I think it’s important for people to know that teens deal with the hard stuff too.
— E
I realized I could socialize with other kids going through grief and help others who hadn’t had the opportunity to open up about it, I knew I would definitely enjoy it and that it would be worth it.
— Pedro
My time with Experience Camps has shown me how important it is to have a community where everyone feels connected and understood. I would like to use my own experience to help make it better for future campers.
— Quentin
If we talk about it more often and openly about grief, it will become more familiar and not feel so alienating.
— Zoe
I really enjoy talking about grief. I also like helping out Experience Camps. It is such a great program and it has changed my life.
— Zoe
Talking about grief makes us realize we’re not alone and gives us a way to heal together.
— Levi
I think society needs to get better at talking about grief, even though it is hard. The people who are going through a tough time dealing with grief (which is everyone), need an outlet to talk about it sometimes.
— Niko
I want to help kids like me feel less ashamed of their experiences and to be proud of their endurance and strength through grief.
— Celia
I believe I have the ability to help others by giving them advice to help them cope in their own ways and to share my thoughts and experiences with others about my journey through grief.
— Gerald
This camp has made a positive impact on me. I have been able to help my friends who have lost their loved ones.
— Soph
I have grown up with this community and understand how meaningful it can be to be surrounded by people who truly understand what it is like to lose someone you love.
— Gabby
| Even though grief is not something everyone experiences, everyone needs to understand how to support those who have experienced it. |
— Maia