Hope & Healing For Military Kids Through Competitive Gaming
This is the mission of Gold Star Gamers
Gold Star Gamer Program
Gold Star Gamer kids have two things in common. One, they all suffered the loss of a military parent. Two, gaming is their primary tool for dealing with their grief. We have three different programs designed to meet the needs of our gamers ages 7-18: Mentorship, Training Camps, Tournaments & Events.
Our mentorship programs are designed to meet the needs of our gamers one-on-one. We connect our gold star gamers to gaming mentors and grant special request such as the purchase of gaming equipment.
Training camps in the summer are offered bootcamp style for a week. Up to 12 kids attend virtual ½ day camps with a coach.
For competitions, kids are matched with an adult military gamer from the same branch. These two-person teams meet for practices and the competition day, either virtually or in person.
Impact of Gold Star Gamers
Connection
Focusing on an activity can help kids build a connection so they feel understood and safe. This is vital for rebuilding after trauma. We help kids connect to both other kids and adult “mentors” so they don’t feel alone in their grief.
Healing
Helping kids process grief in a safe way allows them to build resilience for future challenges. This is what Gold Star Gamers is all about! What could have ended a child’s life, suddenly gives them purpose and passion and a reason to live, along with a connection to their lost parent or loved one.
Confidence
Kids are not supposed to lose a parent. It upsets their expectations and their world cracks open—they feel unsafe and sometimes out of control. GSG help kids earn accomplishments that build upon good times. All of this while remembering their fallen loved one and getting better at something they spend a lot of time at—gaming.
Hope
Losing hope can be life threatening to kids and teens. When grieving kids have an event to look forward to, it’s motivating to keep putting one foot in front of the other, even when it’s hard. And it begins the process of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. We give kids a chance to achieve a life-long dream and connect with something they shared with their dad or loved one.