Children of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths gather for Peace Camp at King's

King’s University College welcomes the award-wining London Interfaith Peace Camp (LIPC) on Monday, August 14th through Friday, August 18th. In 2016 the camp was awarded the Diversity, Race Relations and Inclusivity Award by the City of London. This is the camp’s fifth year.

Rooted in the shared values of Abrahamic traditions (Christian, Jewish, and Muslim), LIPC is a collective community project where understanding, cooperation, and friendship-building among faith groups is encouraged. Temple Israel (of London), Or Shalom Congregation, the London Muslim Mosque, Al Mahdi Islamic Centre, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Valleyview Mennonite Church and Christ the King University parish are the co-organizers and supporters of the event. The camp is sponsored by the Centre for Jewish Catholic Muslim Learning at King’s University College.

The week-long day camp for children in grades one to eight is based on the successful model developed at Eastern Mennonite University in Virginia. Approximately 90 elementary and secondary age students, leaders, and volunteers will participate in LIPC. "Bringing a message of peace-making to our campers, teenage leaders, and their families has been a powerful experience. Learning about each other’s faiths, and recognizing our shared values has fostered enduring understanding and friendships among groups who rarely have the opportunity to learn from each other. We truly believe in the power of sincere dialogue and shared experiences to bring peace and justice to our world," says Peace Camp faculty member Rabbi Debra Dressler of Temple Isreal.

The campers will visit a local synagogue, mosque and church. As well the program looks to engage participants in projects including group work, cultural art and language, healthy food and recreational activities, and service learning projects. Children meet new friends through mutual understanding.
King’s will host the group for activities in the Vitali Student Lounge, located in Wemple. Full details can be found on the Peace Camp page.