CAMP PEACEPRINTS 2023: HEALTHY LIVES MATTER

¡Hola, Amigos! Pronto sera el tiempo por los ninos para ir a campamentos de verano. We are excited to present once again Camp Peaceprints, now in its 16^th year! With the theme Healthy Lives Matter!

The day camp for 8- to 13-year-olds runs July 17-28, Monday-Friday 10 am-3 pm, at the WNY Peace Center (Carriage House, Network of Religious Communities, 1272 Delaware Ave, Buffalo 14209).  The camp focuses on social justice and peaceful conflict resolution in a diverse community working together. Besides exciting weekly field trips, the group swims 3 or 4 times, a health-building activity all ‘round!

The children interact with community leaders, artists, activists, and storytellers. They will use music, art, theatre, dance, and recreation for self-expression and communication. In other words, they will learn, create, and play: Fun, fun, fun!!

This year, we will explore personal and community health and how to maintain it. We will consider fundamental components of fitness: fresh air, clean water, sunlight, mindfulness/meditation or connecting to a higher power, sleep, exercise, whole foods, and rest.

We will learn how a healthy environment benefits us, other living creatures, and the earth. And, of course, we will explore health equity disparities – how BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other communities face major health challenges. Campers will also learn what resources people need to have a healthy community and how their health matters in creating a healthy community.

Eight dimensions of health are included: physical, intellectual, emotional, social, spiritual, vocational, financial, and environmental.

We are happy to have teens come on board as Youth Assistants. Adult Volunteers, including foster grandparents – official and unofficial – are very welcome!!

We also appreciate help transporting and accompanying children on field trips, including swimming! Field trips have included wonderful local sites/sights (e.g., in previous years: Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Museum, Ganondagan: Seneca Art & Culture Center, Nash House, art galleries, parks, beaches, the Falls – even Maid of the Mist, and more!) This year’s field trips should be excellent!

Caregiver comments include, “They loved it!” “They kept doing and talking about things from Camp after Camp was over.” “It was something to stimulate their learning over the summer.” “It was a real help to us.” Campers virtually all said they wanted Camp to last longer! Other camper comments: “It’s so much fun…” “I learned a lot about being kind and loving and working for things to be better in the world.” “It helped me be more peaceful and feel good.”

The Camp is a collaboration between the SSJ Sister Karen Klimczak Center for Nonviolence, the Prevention Council, and the WNY Peace Center.

You can soon find more info and updates on the WNY Peace Center Facebook page; linker; or sisterkarencenter.org, including a registration form.

The camp cost is sliding scale –finances should never be an obstacle! You can pay what you can, up to the fee of $225. We are thankful for grants, including from the Network of Religious Communities, helping to make Camp Peaceprints possible! Hasta Pronto!!

Note:

To Ruthy Harris:

FAREWELL, MY FRIEND — Deep condolences to the family and friends of Ruthy Harris. We will all miss her loving, powerful, and passionate ways. Her words were always poetry, even when writing prose. The depth of her passion and compassion was clear and is such a heavy weight to bear, truly unbearable. She was a beacon for us all, articulating an unstoppable river of caring for the world, manifested both inside and out. May she rest in Peace. —- Vicky Ross