When grief shatters a child’s world, Feel the Magic helps to put the pieces back together. Here’s the story of the unique Australian organisation that’s been guiding children from heartbreak to hope for the last 12 years.

Every child deserves a childhood untouched by grief. But according to Feel the Magic, a national non-profit dedicated to helping grieving children to heal, one in 20 Australian children will experience the loss of a parent before they reach their eighteenth birthday.

“Kids who experience bereavement are six times more likely to die by suicide than their peers,” says Kristy Thomas, co-founder of Feel the Magic. “We want to be there before that happens. Early intervention is critical to providing a bereaved child with connection and hope.”

Kristy remembers a seven-year-old girl she met 12 years ago, when Feel the Magic had only just begun. The little girl had recently lost her father – and with him, her sense of safety in the world.

“It is inevitable that when a child loses someone, they will experience grief,” Kristy says. “What we wanted to do back then was provide grieving children with a sense of respite from their grief. We wanted them, even for a short time, to feel joy.  

“So we decided to raise money and send kids to the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland. That’s how Feel the Magic began.”

For that little girl, that trip marked the start of a long journey from heartbreak to healing. Over the years, as the seven-year-old grew up, the organisation expanded. 

Today, she’s a 19-year-old Feel the Magic ambassador who has dedicated herself to helping other children to work through the process of grief. “Over the years, she’s attended numerous camps, completed our graduation camp, and now interns with us while studying business,” Kristy says. “She had every excuse not to thrive but she’s made the most of the worst thing that happened to her.”

Feeling the Magic into the Future

Since its inception, Feel the Magic has become one of Australia’s leading grief-education charities, delivering evidence-based, connection-driven programs for bereaved children and their families.

It currently operates in New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, with expansion to South Australia on the horizon. The charity now runs Camp Magic – a two-and-a-half-day program that helps children to play while connecting with others – Family Day Camps and two online programs called Healthy Grieving and Let’s Talk Suicide (which supports children bereaved by suicide).

“We deliver psycho-educational programs,” Kristy explains. “There are therapeutic aspects, but also connection through community, team-building, artwork and social interaction. We teach kids emotional literacy so they can communicate what they’re feeling and learn how to manage it. The work we do is about empowering them with healthy grieving strategies.”

Looking ahead to the organisation’s future, Kristy’s goal is simple: to reach as many children as possible. “Early intervention is key,” she says. “We want to help kids long before their grief becomes too heavy to carry alone.”

Philanthropy and partnerships will be crucial to that vision. “If you’re a philanthropist wanting to support us, come and see what we do at our camps. You can’t help but feel the change in the kids.

“Come and witness the magic: that moment when a grieving child realises they’re not alone. It’s a window of opportunity that allows them to move forward, to live a life they’re content with, regardless of what’s happened.”

If this article has raised an issue for you or you are in need of support, help is available contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

Feel the Magic is supported by various trusts managed by Equity Trustees, including the Collie Foundation.

“Come and witness the magic: that moment when a grieving child realises they’re not alone.”