Teaching Teens Tolerance Video Presentation
March 8, 201
The Interfaith Camp at Elk Shoals has been featured in a video from The United Methodist Church. Watch it here.
3rd Annual Youth Interfaith Camp in N.C. (North Carolina):
Jun 24, 2004
The Mountain Times
On June 24, 2004 The Mountain Times reported, "The third annual interfaith camp was held at Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp last week where 16 Christians, Jews and Muslims met together to learn about one another and to learn how to trust others of different faiths or beliefs. Boys from Ashe County, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Israel, Africa, Charlotte, Greensboro, who all live in North Carolina now came to participate in the camp that group officials said went very well... The first camp was the subject of a documentary that won the Vision Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival and will soon be shown on television networks including Showtime and possibly others."
Read the full story >>
First Interfaith Girls Camp Deemed A Complete Fun Successful Week 2004:
By Fawn Roark
The first annual girls interfaith camp was held at Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp last week where a group of 15 Christian and Jewish girls met together to learn about one another and to learn how to trust others of different faiths or beliefs from their own.
The first annual girls Interfaith Camp held at Elk Shoals this month was a complete success. From tie–dyeing t–shirts to fishing to floating down the river on inner tubes to participating in a ropes course, the camp gave the girls lots of things to do and each had a part in helping bond the girls together in understanding and trust of one another.
"The purpose of this camp is to teach them how to trust each other and how to promote peace and understanding of each other," Director Pete Parish of Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp explained. "The first interfaith girls’ camp was very successful after three successful interfaith camps for boys."
The first annual boy’s camp, held three years ago, was the subject of a documentary that won the Vision Award at the RiverRun International Film Festival and was shown on several television networks including Showtime.
Parish decided to do the first camp after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11th and how tensions then occurred between Christians, Jews and Muslims. The film shows the 32 boys, ages 9 to 13, arriving with doubts about each other and getting past their fears through activities and time spent together at the camp.
The camp this year was very similar to the first year and each of the camp leaders seemed very pleased and mentioned how pleased they were that the children were learning about one another and had become quick friends.
"I am very thankful to be a part of Interfaith Camp. With each camp it seems that I learn more and more about other people. These girls have really made an impact on my global perspective," Activities Director Marsha Moore explained.
Counselor Rebecca Hash seemed to agree. "The Interfaith Camp at Elk Shoals not only taught me additional information about other faiths, but also made my own faith in God stronger! I thoroughly enjoyed counseling the girls and watching them learn about others’ religions and even grow in their own. I look forward to seeing all of the girls next summer."
For more information, call Parish at 336–877–4607. For more information online, log onto www.elkshoals.org.
The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash., Kathleen Merryman Column: Interfaith Camp Has Nature Walks and Honest Talk
Posted on: Saturday, 24 June 2006, 06:00 CDT
By Kathleen Merryman, The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
Jun. 24––The middle schoolers who hope to spend Aug. 27 through Sept. 1 at the first session of Puget Sound Interfaith Youth Camp at Camp Seymour want more than the usual from their summer camp experience.
Sure, they want boating, campfires and hiking. They also want to talk about the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. They want to run around and be silly, and they want to discuss their faith and understand their friends' beliefs.
There are 50 spots for boys and girls going into the seventh and eighth grades,
and applications will be accepted until they are filled. The goal is to have
an even mix of religions represented. The camp is free, though there is a refundable
$50 application fee. (To find out more, click onto www.soundinterfaithcamp.org.)
Applying soonest is best, said Sallie Shawl of Associated Ministries of Tacoma–Pierce
County, one of the organizers with the YMCA, Temple Beth El, Temple Bath Hatfiloh,
Islamic Centers of Olympia and Tacoma, Bahais of Pierce County, Mas Alah, People
for Peace Justice & Healing, South Sound Peace & Justice Center and the Islamic
Educational and Community Center.
Camps run as youth ministries by religious
groups are a grand tradition of summer. That's practical and admirable. I can
imagine most of the great prophets of world religions having a ball sitting around
with like–believing kids, talking a little religion and weaving geckos out of
plastic twine and beads.
The difference is, this camp is gathering kids representing all the great prophets and teachers to the same session to converse deeply, honestly and without pressure –– and weave geckos out of plastic twine and beads.
It’s modeled on the experience of 33 Muslim, Jewish and Christian boys at Elk Shoals United Methodist Camp in North Carolina in 2002. "Trust Me," the Showtime film on the event, showed kids arriving warily, worrying about other kids from strange religions and concerned that the whole thing might be a veiled attempt at conversion. They left as friends, their understanding expanded and their faith intact.
Katja Romine, 13, of DuPont, is one of the first applicants. Katja chose her church home, Northwest Community Church in Steilacoom, but when her mom told her about the camp, her curiosity kicked in.
"I wanted to learn from other people about different religions and how they celebrate stuff," she said. "Also, it would be fun and interesting meeting new people."
Like Katja, Miranda Milligan of Olympia applied as soon as she heard about the camp.
"I go to our Hebrew school, and I know a lot about Judaism," she said. But I had been thinking to myself that I don’t know much about other faiths. I thought that if the Jewish beliefs are like this, with stories and interesting things, why wouldn’t it be interesting to learn about other beliefs?"
Tracy Wright, 13, of Mercer Island, applied after he saw "Trust Me."
At United Church of Christ, he’s a cherished member who thrives on youth activities and represents young people at regional conferences.
"I never really had any friends from different faiths beside my one Jewish friend, Danny Lockler," he said. "I want to learn more about the whole situation in the Middle East and terrorism."
He would enjoy conversations with Miranda and Shareq Amin, 13, of Olympia. Shareq would certainly want to talk about Islam with Tracy.
"It’s a lot different than what most people think,’ he said. ’They try to help people, not, like, murder people. Some people in school think that Muslims are terrorists, but we are not. I want to prove to them that I am not a terrorist. I’m just an ordinary kid. I like to do the same games, sports that they do."
If this camp can help 50 kids find understanding, and make bead– and–plastic geckos, what a gift it will be.