Peace Camp: Turning The World Upside Down

From July 28th to August 1st, Conrad Grebel University College hosted Peace Camp, a one-week peace education program for youth ages 11-14. This was the first year that Peace Camp graduates rejoined the program as junior leaders. Campers and staff participated in a week full of games, crafts, and engaging peace building activities, such as making instruments with recycled materials, meeting a refugee with Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support, and visiting the Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford to learn about the land claims of the Six Nations of the Grand River. 

A thirteen year old camper said, “There are ways we can help issues that may seem bigger than us. It’s meaningful because it seems like what we feel and do matter, and our opinion matters.”

Peace Camp leaders, Katie Gingerich and Madeleine Bonsma, also visited several classrooms in the spring to introduce peace curriculum to over 1400 students. They found the experience of teaching peace themes rewarding and encouraging. Gingerich says, “Watching a young person realize that peace is possible, not only in the world, but in their own life, is a powerful thing.”