Children of Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths gather for Peace Camp at King's
August 10, 2016
London ON., August 15, 2016 - King’s University College welcomes the fourth annual London Interfaith Peace Camp (LIPC) on Monday, August 15th through Friday, August 19th.
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), the Islamic Centre of Southwest Ontario, Al Mahdi Islamic Centre, First St. Andrews United Church and Valleyview Mennonite Church are the co-organizers 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 80 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.
The campers will visit local synagogues, mosques and churches including Al-Mahdi Islamic Centre, Temple Israel, and Christ the King Roman Catholic Church. As well the program looks to engage participants in projects including group work, cultural art, healthy food and recreational activities, and service learning projects.
King’s will host the group for activities in the Vitali Student Lounge, located in Wemple, King’s University College, 266 Epworth Ave. London, Ontario. Full details can be found at: www.kings.uwo.ca/peacecamp/
King's is a publicly-funded Catholic post-secondary institution founded in 1954. King’s provides general and honors degree programs in the liberal arts, social sciences, business, and a master's degree in social work. Institutionally-autonomous, King’s is academically-affiliated with Western University. King’s is open to students of all faith backgrounds, with its community centered on the values of social justice, equality and the education of the whole person.
For more information please contact:
Jane Antoniak
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
King’s University College
519-433-3491 x 4384
519-719-9366
@kingsatwestern
The PDF version of this media release can be found here.