ExperienceCraft was a free youth-led, online Minecraft and Discord community for youth ages 7-15 who have experienced the death of a caregiver, sibling, or close member of their community. The initiative was supported through a partnership between Connected Camps and Experience Camps. ExperienceCraft was honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2023.
As of November 18, 2024, the ExperienceCraft server will be permanently closed. We have enjoyed over 1,000 hours of play and creation in this space, made new friends, and explored a virtual world where grief is spoken, supported, and understood. For more opportunities to connect and play, check out the programs at www.experiencecamps.org or our Kid Club server at https://connectedcamps.com/minecraft-kid-club.
ExperienceCraft offered youth an online setting where:
- Grief was acknowledged and normalized
- There were opportunities to meaningfully contribute
- Community members felt a sense of belonging
- Youth gave and received peer support
College-age near peer-mentors from Connected Camps moderated the server, along with youth ambassadors from the community itself, keeping it safe while also providing scaffolded support for how to engage with the technology meaningfully, responsibly, and in ways that are fair, inclusive, and empowering.
Read more about ExperienceCraft on Mashable and Tech and Learning magazine.
What ExperienceCraft youth had to say:
This is the first time I’ve been on a Minecraft server that’s actually really nice to me.
I loved the Zen area and listening to the different music.
