What We Do
Royal Family Kids of Northeast Iowa exists to foster resiliency and hope, develop self-esteem, and create positive memories.
Our Mission
Royal Family Kids Camp is a faith-based camp for kids who have experienced family-induced childhood trauma. Our desire is for every child to experience the hope and unconditional love of God. The camp curriculum and activities are woven through the modality of Trust-Based Relational Intervention to ensure our children are experiencing truly life giving activities throughout the 5-day experience.
“The overall effectiveness of Royal Family KIDS camps that I have experienced is that one week at camp can be as effective as one year of counseling sessions”
— Becca C. Johnson, PhD.
What does “faith-based” mean at our camp?
Imagine you are a child who has never stepped foot inside a church. You’ve never heard a Bible story, never prayed, never been told that you are loved by God. You may have lived in multiple homes, attended several schools, and said goodbye to people you cared about far too many times. You’re simply doing your best to make it through each day.
Now imagine being placed on a bus with unfamiliar kids, arriving at a place you’ve never been, and meeting adults who are kind and welcoming, but hold beliefs and language that may be completely new to you.
THIS is the reality for many of the children we serve at Royal Family KIDS Camp.
Royal Family KIDS Camp presents stories, verses, music, and lessons from the Bible in our large group gatherings. We are staffed by Christians. So what makes this different from any other church camp?
As a faith-based organization, Royal Family KIDS of Northeast Iowa cooperates with Social Services to support their care and safety of the children. We deeply appreciate the service these civil servants provide and want our efforts to only add to the mix. That trusted partnership relies on an approach that presents our faith as a great hope for children, but without any hint of coercion or manipulation. We do not present or participate in church sacraments during camp. We do not ask the children to respond in an act of dedication of faith. We do believe that God has great plans for them and eagerly await child-initiated opportunities to share how much God has done for them.
Many children have learned that agreeing with adults is a way to stay safe. Others may come from homes where religion was present but used in harmful ways. With this in mind, we are intentional about allowing faith conversation to happen naturally, respectfully, and only when children initiate them.
When a camper asks questions about a Bible story, we share what it means to us. In teachable moments, when a child is sad, frustrated, or curious, we may gently share how faith, love, and hope have shaped our own lives. And when children are laughing, playing, and feeling free, we hope they catch a glimpse of something bigger than what they have known so far; their story is not over, and that good things are possible.
At Royal Family KIDS Camp, faith is not something we place on children—it is something we live out through safety, consistency, compassion, and unconditional care.