Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 7/22/04)

History repeated itself last month when 16 youths from Our Lady, Queen of Peace Parish attended Peace Camp — a new experience, at least to them. In truth, however, this year’s Peace Camp was a continuation of the Arlington church’s program organized by Benedictine Sister Irene Alexander, former director of religious education for the parish, in the mid-80s.

Mary Joan Park and her husband, Jerry, are co-founders and co-directors of Little Friends for Peace, a Maryland organization dedicated to teaching non-violence skills to young children, and they have been staffing peace camps for three decades. This year they helped organize 13 camps in Florida, Ohio, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

Park and her son, Tommy, trained and directed three adult volunteer counselors, Carolyn Burstein, Carol O'Neill and Patrick Zook, and two teen "counselors in training," Maya Chowdury and Liz Loveless, for the program in Arlington.

"If we want to help turn around the epidemic of violence in our world, we need to start equipping the children with instruments of peace to help ensure that peace grows," Park said.

She also noted that Gandhi used to say, "If we want to have real peace in the world, we must begin with children."

The camp was well received by the 5 to 11-year-old campers, who spent four hours a day playing cooperative games, working on arts and crafts projects, writing in and decorating their journals, and sharing their efforts to make the world a less violent place. Music was prominent throughout each day, and peace "experts" stopped by to share their experiences and insights in the struggle for peace. The basic premise of the week is to encourage the children to recognize that while conflict is an unavoidable part of life, each of us can help avoid an escalation of violence that can become endless — and is often totally pointless.

Diana, an 11-year-old camper, noted that peace rarely comes easily, and that it takes constant work to build peace in your soul and heart.

"My heart knows that I can't give up hope," she said. "I have to hold on and have patience and faith."

Four-year-old Amanda, the youngest camper, wished that more people were helpful so there would be fewer guns and bombs, and less pushing and shoving. "People should solve their problems by sharing," she said.

An adult may think that these are simplistic notions, but perhaps the ways these children explored their week at Peace Camp offer greater promise for future happiness than the aggression practiced by many adults.

It was probably just for this reason that Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me." In any event, the peace process, already a tradition at Our Lady, Queen of Peace Church, was significantly enriched. Plans are already underway for next year's camp.