November Be the Change: Young Peacemakers Week
By Natalie Criscione
Besides being an absence of war, concepts of peace, as distant as they might be at times, are mostly indisputable. They include words like those found on the Young Peacemakers Week (camp) website such as “a commitment to non-violence and reconciliation in all spheres of life…simplicity, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship of the environment.”
The Albany camp remains a long-running testament to how seeds of peace are planted, nurtured, and grown. With its one-week run every August for children entering grades 2-8, the Young Peacemakers Week, housed at the Quaker Friends Meeting House on Madison Avenue, continues to offer a model oasis of peace. It began over a quarter of a century ago by *Sue Clark, a fierce advocate for creating good in the world. The camp, originally known as Peace Week, has grown into an integral part of the city’s summer youth offerings and provides opportunities within a multicultural setting to think, breathe, and live peacefully.
A typical day might include yoga, arts and crafts, collaborative board games, playground time, snacks, meals, and music. Zorkie Nelson, one of the week’s regulars, is a local musician who shares his West African drumming customs with the campers. He supplies drums and historical perspective and nurtures a space for the children to create music together. “He teaches them about drumming through his tradition, and that is about peace,” says Janet Nally, one of the Young Peacemakers Week’s board members. Throughout the week, other musicians introduce the children to the music of Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and other folk legends. For many of the children, it might be their first encounter with the music and language of peace and social justice.
One day of the week includes bus transportation for a day trip to a local nature venue such as Five Rivers, the Radix Center, or this past summer’s Pine Bush location. Such opportunities would not be possible without enormous community support, dedicated teachers, interns, and a host of volunteers. “We operate on an amazingly tight shoestring budget,” says Nally, and, despite the suggested tuition fees, “no one is turned away.” The message is clear: peace is neither costly nor exclusionary; it is available to all.
As the week progresses changes happen, says Nally, who volunteers her time during the camp week— “at the end of the week, you see transformation among the children in the form of patience and empathy.” Like a stone dropped into water, there is a ripple effect, and suddenly the children become more aware of their impact on others within the camp, their families, and their communities. They discover language, behaviors, and strategies that can be applied to life outside of their camp experience.
To illustrate the ripple effect and peace narratives, one of the week’s projects involves a puppet show created and performed by the campers for the parents and staff through the use of homemade props, colorful staging, stories, poetry, and music. “They start with nothing and come up with a whole show,” says Nally, “It’s incredible!”
Throughout their time together, the children learn from each other. They learn to recognize when one among them needs extra support, a hand to hold, or a kind word. They check in on each other, helping with backpacks, name tags, and handwashing; they experience an environment of inclusion and care and being present to each other. Nally witnesses such acts of compassion over and over again.
How does one create a world of loving adults? As the Mahatma Gandhi quote on the website says: “If we are to create peace in the world, we must begin with the children.”
During the month of November—think PEACE. Every time you make a purchase from Honest Weight, choose to round up to the nearest dollar. Think of your donation as a seed that will one day grow into a world where peace can flourish.
To learn more about the Young Peacemakers Week, and how you can further contribute or volunteer, visit their website.
*Sue Clark passed away in 2021, and her memory lives on in the mission of Young Peacemakers Week.
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