Peace Camp

        

What is Peace Camp?

Boulder Art School and Local Interfaith Groups

Work with Youth for World Peace

Boulder, Colorado – Barrows School of the Arts, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church and Pardes Levavot Synagogue are working to meet the World Peace Challenge by collaborating in a Children’s Peace Camp this summer. Youth of all faiths and backgrounds will be welcomed and appreciated for their personal beliefs while learning to understand and respect the beliefs of others. For six hours a day, five days a week, campers will explore their creativity, through a wide variety of artistic activities, and learn about world peace efforts in a supportive, non-competitive environment. They will be encouraged to explore inwardly and look with empathy upon the lives and struggles of others as they would upon their own lives, to work together in cooperative group projects and to view all of the world’s people as an extension of their own family. Peace Camp, as a multi-faith collaboration, has been developed to nurture the unique spirit of each participant while inspiring them to find a deep connection to the hearts of others, and to discover the power of what their combined love can accomplish within the local and world community.

Alison Barrows Young will head up the Peace Camp arts program. During her 25 year career, she has taught many courses in creative expression and fine arts for both adults and children. As director and lead teacher, of the Barrows School of the Arts, she is well known for her nurturing style and her unique ability to promote personal creativity within students of all experiences and backgrounds.

“’Is my child an artist?’, that is the question I have heard most from parents through out the years,” explains Ms. Barrows Young. “The answer, of course is ‘yes’ we are all artists. We are all creators, it is just a matter of finding out what area of creative expression resonates with us and where our innate talents lie.” Ms. Barrows-Young goes on to explain that the questions we ask about our children’s artistic abilities are very similar to the questions we ask ourselves about creating a positive effect in the World.

“’Can I really do something to make a positive change in World vision?’ ‘Is world peace even a possibility?’. Like the artistic process, peace must begin first within our self. When we search for peace within our self, we begin to recognize our personal conflicts and with guidance we can begin to view these inner diversities as a paradigm for which to compassionately view our friends and then our community and then the greater community of the world.”

While attending Peace Camp, students will rotate between three educational areas, Peace Theatre, Fine Art Studio and Community Service. Peace Theatre will include a variety of activities from Acting Improvisation, Script Acting, Story Telling, Adventure Questing, Puppetry, Creative Movement, Singing, Creative writing, Poetry and Playwriting.

“The goals of Peace Theatre are to promote listening skills and help kids to focus on the group intent,” explains Ms. Barrows Young. “Through theatre, participants can get a better understanding of group dynamics, develop stronger presentation and speaking skills which decreases self consciousness and in turn helps students to be less critical and more accepting of both themselves and others.”

Fine Art Studio will include a variety of activities from Drawing, Sketching, Painting and Sculpture Journaling, Scrap booking, Bookbinding, Nature & Botanical Art, Collage, Costume Design, Jewelry, Paper Making, Puppet Making and Mask Making.

“The Visual Arts are powerful healers and promoters of personal growth”, states Ms. Barrows Young, “along with nurturing student’s self confidence through expressing themselves non verbally, they inspire us to see the beauty in the world and enjoy the earth’s bounty through more determined observation. World awareness and diversity has always been taught through the language of art and cultural exploration”.

For community Service campers will be able to choose as a group from a wide variety of projects available through various organizations that benefit both local and world communities. This may include volunteering time, promoting awareness and/or raising funds. Two examples of community service projects are CIP, The Community Infant Program of Boulder County and “The Heifer Project” which assists famine stricken families in other parts of the world.

Peace Camp will be held at, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, located at the intersection of Lookout Rd and 71 st St – in NE Boulder. This safe and comfortable facility has carpeted classrooms with tables, chairs and couches, an indoor gym and outdoor fenced-in playground. Student to teacher ratio will be 8:1 or 12:1 with an assistant. Camp will run for 10 weeks, from June 6 to August 19, Monday through Friday. Hours are 9:00 am – 3:30 pm. Before and after care is available. Register for one week or all ten. All materials and snacks are included. Enrollment will be limited to insure maximum individual attention. For more information call 303–530–2662, or send an email to alison@alisonbarrows.com

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