Visit our new site

For 2012 we've moved to a new website.  Come visit us at Columbia Gorge Peace Village to keep up with camp news.

2012 Camp Dates

Save the dates of August 6-10, 2012 for the next Columbia Gorge Peace Village.  Check back often for updates on registration and volunteer opportunities. 

Wonderful Week

The 4th Columbia Gorge Peace Village was a wonderful experience.  Soon we will load the slideshow from the week and you can get a glimpse for yourself.  Check back in the next week for the show.  Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, teachers, counselors, junior counselor and the many volunteers who made camp extra special for us all.

Living and Learning Peacefully

Thursday turned out to be quite a day of fun, excitement and learning! We added some fun new activities to our morning rounds. Mixing it up with fun variations provided us with opportunities to expand our minds to encompass many new ways to sustain peaceful living. Today we are also giving a shout out to our wonderful cook Molly, who has a birthday tomorrow. We thank her for all the love and support she selflessly gives to everyone. Peace Village would not be the same without her. (She also makes the best cheesecake I have ever tasted in my entire life! No joke!)

Peace Heroes, as the name suggests, offers us a glimpse into the past. This was one of our new morning activities. Through fun games we learned inspiring stories from some of our greatest peace-makers through the ages. As someone famous once said, study those who were successful yesterday to be successful today.

Next was Media Literacy. We studied the wide world of advertising and learned how to tell the truth underneath the propaganda. As a whole we learned to read the fine print and decipher what was really being said. We created our own adds and hopefully were able to carry away many skills that we can apply to our every day lives. For the media is everywhere and if one isn't wary there lies the possibility to be duped into decisions one would rather not make.

Last, but certainly not least, was art. We followed the creative vision of our fabulous artist-in-residence. On the first day all the campers drew charcoal drawings of the flowers we brought for the opening ceremony. And today we transferred our drawings onto a large flag in the shape of a heart enclosed inside a peace sign. This symbol represents our uniqueness but how we can all come together to create unity.

World peace was our theme throughout the day, and how we all play a small part in creating this ideal. In the words of singer/songwriters Leila and Ellie Grace, "We will join together drop by drop until a drop becomes a flood."

Martha

Bees and Books

Day three already! Can you believe it? Time sure flies when you're having fun. And fun we are having indeed! This middle day of the week turned out to be one to remember. We had our activities and fun as usual with a few surprises in store this afternoon.

A beekeeper visited us today! He brought a little portable hive with a tiny bee colony. We also got to sample some of the honey with our delicious snack this morning. During the activity campers could view the bees at work and ask any questions they had about the workings of a hive. All the children gathered eagerly around the small box. Bees covered all sides of the glass windows. Everyone waited and listened intently to the expert's words. Although some were hesitant to come near a family of bees, it soon became a workshop that no one wanted to miss. The patience and diligence of the bees is a reminder to us of the rewards of team-work and determination.

Another new and exciting activity that we got to experience today was whimsical book-making. The campers got to create books out of things that one usually wouldn't think to make a book out of. We got to try writing between covers of wood cookies and shells. The two halves were then sewn together with the pages safely enclosed inside. It was a great opportunity to get those creative juices flowing. Overall a fabulous exercise to broaden our imaginations, expand our realms of perceivable ideas and get us to think outside the box.

A fun day we had, and a warm and windy one as well. We played and laughed and supported each other to create an open loving environment; a place where we were free to grow as artists and as peace-makers. Over the day many opportunities presented themselves to us, ways to try out our skills of peace. It's my hope that we can continue to learn over the next few days so that we can all do our little part to make the world a safer and more peaceful place for future generations to live.
Martha

Village Fair Highlights

Hello again and we've made it through day two! And it was a fabulous day! We are now used to our routine and there was much less shuffling throughout the day. We finally achieved a nice easy flow that helped boost the peace-loving atmosphere. Activities changed to mix it up a little and today's surprises included a special drumming workshop! You could feel your heart syncopate to the irresistibly catchy beat. And this afternoon we, of course, had our wonderful Village Fair. It is such a fantastic addition to a camp we thought couldn't get any better! Some of our highlights today included taste testing, ceramics and vegetable carving.
Taste Test was an incredible learning opportunity that one doesn't always get through all the social media. Campers got to taste the difference between natural, locally grown foods and their counterparts, the same foods, but processed and imported from far away. There were cherries and green beans and many other delicious local delicacies. We got to decide for ourselves which of the treats was better. Furthermore we learned to make our own granola (containing 8 ingredients) and compare it to a popular cereal brand (Fruit Loops - 35 ingredients!). Campers also got to make hand-squeezed orange juice and hold it up to Sunny D, possibly not a fair contrast. We also got to dye T-shirts with confetti sprinkles to see how long the dye lasts. A frightening concept don't you think? So basically a fascinating thing to think about!
Another afternoon activity was Ceramics. We were making pinch-pots today. A wonderful exercise that helps to center us and guide us towards inner peace and understanding of our inner selves. The beautiful red clay is local and the little pots can be fired in a kiln in Hood River for very cheap if a finished product is desired. Making these lovely works of art is also a peaceful and healthy way to deal with frustration and anger. In all comes together to create a peaceful world.

Our final highlight of the day was vegetable carving. The art is fabulous way to express oneself creatively while making something completely biodegradable and eco-friendly. In fact all the finished products will be composted and given to the chickens. Vegetable carving also teaches cooperation, team-working, and loving support. We cheer each other on because the best art is born in a healthy, loving, and supportive environment.

So overall today was a great day for learning peaceful ways of living. We are excited to see the art that comes from all this creativity floating around. I feel honored to be a part of the next step towards a safe and peaceful world.

Martha

First Day of Camp

Welcome to Peace Village! Today was the first day of camp and it was a busy one! It looks like this week is going to be great! You can feel the creativity and fun in the air! We started today off with a flower ceremony. Each camper had a flower symbolizing the unique individuality of each person and how, although we are beautiful alone, we can all come together to create something wonderful. In addition, everyone took home a flower that they did not bring as a symbol of unity. We were serenaded by the fantastically talented Jamba marimba group. After the ceremony we were broken into age groups and proceeded to our morning activities. In the afternoon, it was time for the Village Fair. This consists of many different stations that the campers go to depending on preference. There was the usual hectic shuffling to get everyone to an activity but our behind-the-scenes magicians figured it all out. Some examples of activities are gardening and rock painting, taste-test, fiber arts, veggie sculptures, ceramics, artful recycling, games, and many more. Looks like fun! One of the highlights of this afternoon was homemade ice cream. In fact we have the recipe here in case you didn't get to try it and want to do it at home.

Ice Cream

Place 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla into a small qt sandwich bag.

Fill a 1 gallon plastic bag with 4 cups ice and 4 tablespoons rock salt.

Put the small bag inside the large bag and shake hard.

Enjoy your homemade ice cream!

Yum! Everything looks wonderful. This is promising to be a fabulous week filled with fun, laughter, and...peace! We're learning many ways to live peacefully, including getting along with others. But not only people, animals too! A sheep and an angora rabbit came to visit at lunch today. What beautiful long hair they had! All the better to wrap themselves up snugly warm for wintertime my dear! Although there is no need for it now as it's beautiful sunny summer! The weather today was ideal, warm and clear and sunny. Perfect for our many outdoor activities. So overall today was a fantastic day of laughing and loving and learning. And there is still more to come! We have four more days of fun and peace to come! It's going to be great!

Martha

What is peace?

Year 4 of the Columbia Gorge Peace Village is just days away.  As your planning team puts the finishing touches on what looks to be a wonderful week, we want to share some thoughts on peace.  These have been our guiding thoughts through these past months. 

The questions we find ourselves asking and answering  are: 

What is peace?

How do we create, experience, make and do peace?

What does a peaceful world and community look like?

These questions seem like they should be easy.  But peace is often hard to pin down, to define, and so it gets defined by what it isn't even more often than by what it is.

What do you teach at Peace Village?

There are many wonderful practices that help create peace.  At the Columbia Gorge Peace Village we strive to share as many of these practices as possible with the campers.  We think of these practices as falling into three areas, of course there is a lot of overlap.  Each year campers, volunteers and staff add to this list of peaceful practices.  Below are the practices that guide us.  Many are taught throughout the week, some are just reminders for all of us as we find peace in our own lives.

Peace Within (Peaceful Heart)

Practices that foster a peaceful space inside, personally.

Yoga, meditation, prayer, singing, writing, drawing, clay or other hands on arts, music, nature, walking, working with our hands, drumming, healthy living, faith, spirituality, service to others, gratitude

 

Peace Among (Peaceful families and communities)

Fun, Laughing, Listening, Respect, Art, Music, Learning, Communication, Shared resources, Games, Shared food, Non-violent Conflict Resolution, Stories, healthy communities, faith, spirituality, nature, tolerance, service, gratitude

Peaceful World (Peace Around)

Shared resources, nature, understanding, cultures, religions, earth care, food, shelter, knowing our peace heroes, understanding the power of media, tolerance, service

This year we will be using the image below to help us remember these three areas of peace.  Each activity leader and counselor will help kids place the practices they learn on the image.  We'll create beautiful, fun, and energetic peace together all week long.  See you at camp.  DeLona Campos-Davis

Peace Village in the News

Columbia Gorge Peace Village 2011

What is Peace Village?
Peace Village is an interfaith, multicultural day camp with the mission to provide a fun, educational environment in which children can learn the messages and practice of nonviolence and peacemaking from various world traditions.

When is Peace Village?
The dates for Peace Village 2011 are August 8th-12th.
During the week, we will gather at 9:00 AM each morning and finish by 3:30PM. On the last afternoon, families of the children attending will be invited to join us for a closing ceremony.

Where is Peace Village?
The location for Peace Village 2011 is Mosier Community School.

How much does Peace Village cost?
The base fee for each child is $100. The cost of running camp is about $200 per camper. We receive grants and donations to support some of our operating costs and provide scholarships to children whose families could not otherwise afford for them to attend. Please consider making a donation to support this experience!
Registration is limited to 90 campers.

Who participates in Peace Village?
Children between the ages of 6 and 13 are eligible to attend. Young people aged 14 or older who are interested in participating are welcome and encouraged to contact us for an application as youth staff. Peace Village is an interfaith camp. Children from all spiritual and cultural traditions are welcome to apply.

Who are the adult leaders?
The adults organizing Peace Village range from elementary, high school and college level educators to yoga teachers and religious leaders. In additions, skilled adults with specialized expertise will be enlisted to teach and lead throughout the week, including yoga teachers, artists, nutritionists and health professionals.

What do the children learn at Peace Village?
Children will learn about the practice of peacemaking, both by understanding the roots of violence, and by learning practical techniques to deal with violence in themselves and others. These techniques for peace making include conflict resolution skills, spiritual practices such as prayer/meditation and yoga, the arts, nature studies, media literacy and Peace Heroes. All of these experiences will be developmentally appropriate for the ages and will model a deep respect for cultural and religious diversity. We celebrate that our children are nurtured by many faith traditions and welcome this opportunity to learn from each other.