The Art of Peace: A Camp for Kids - Carolyn Pogue

Notes on the Themes
Day 1: What is Peace, exactly?
This day begins with getting to know one another at the same time as exploring the meaning of
the word peace.
Suggestion:
Ask the question during the Opening Circle. Later in the session, distribute paper and pencil
crayons. Invite peacemakers to:
1. Draw a large circle on the paper.
2. Draw an X inside the circle, so that the legs and arms of the X touch the sides of the
circle.
3. In a separate quadrant of the circle, write the words “Me,” “Nature,” “Family/School,”
and “World.”
4. Ask the children to write a word or draw a symbol that helps them find or express peace
in each of the quadrants.
5. In groups of 3, invite the children to share what their ideas.
Day 2 – Peace in Me
Even though the world, the school or the home may not be peaceful all the time, there are ways
and means that people have figured out ways to live peacefully. Sharing our own experiences in
the Opening Circle is a way to help the creative juices flow. Telling a story, like the one
following, can help children connect their own ability to tell, write or illustrate a story about
inner peace.
When Anne Frank was in hiding during World War II, she kept a diary. The world had gone mad,
but Anne used words to create peace in herself. In Bosnia, decades later, Zlata Filopovic read
Anne Frank’s Diary. When the world around Zlata exploded in a horrifying war, she began
writing. Like Anne before her, Zlata found some way to stay sane, even though around her was
violence and death. Ten years after Zlata’s diary was published, a class of junior high students,
caught in violence at home and at school in Long Branch, California read Zlata and Anne’s words.
The diaries changed their lives.
Young Peace Heroes Reflecting this Theme: The Freedom Writers www.freedomwritersfoundation.org
Day 3 – Peace in Families, Schools, Communities
Most of us have heard that “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt
me!” …and most of us learned that it is not true. Bullying in any form is something most kids
know about.
Role playing to practice how to respond when bullied, what options we have when we witness
bullying, and resources available by phone, online, in books or in the community can help kids with
this difficult problem. Information about the organization Peaceful Schools International can
provide resources to students who want to begin changing their school.