K4PB Camp 2018- Day 6, August 10th

At 7:00 a.m. campers began rolling out of bed for a long, crazy, day full of learning and fun. We opened the day in the chapel with an activity where campers were given a piece of paper with a scenario—a tough situation like witnessing someone else get bullied. Campers were asked to give two versions of the skit: one with what they think they shouldn’t do, and one with what they should do. The activity sparked both loads of laughs and lots of good conversation and reflection.

After breakfast, we all met in the lodge to make challah: a tradition Jewish bread made for dinner on the holy day (Shabbat). Everyone braided their bread with raisons, sugar, and chocolate and anxiously awaited them to bake- some campers even made creative shapes out of their challa!. Following lunch we observed our Muslim friends during their Friday Ju’mmah prayer. Afterwards campers asked a lot of thoughtful question about clothing traditions, the role gender plays, praying and much more, even continuing their conversations on the walk back.

Our afternoon back was a “what would you do?” activity where campers discussed what they would use to respond to certain situations, such as using their bodies, voice, knowledge, and silence to help others. It lead to conversations about standing up for others, when to step in, and much more—all in keeping with the day of the theme: social change.

For dinner tonight, instead of heading to dinner at the eating lodge, we stayed in our own building for Shabbat dinner. We got the opportunity to respectfully observe the Jewish participants in their prayers and blessing of the challah and grape juice. After sharing a meal together, campers were able to ask questions about what they observed in the Jewish ceremony, and similarly to the discussion after Ju’mmah prayers, they had deep and nuanced conversation about the Jewish traditions.

After everyone ate and the dishes were cleaned and questions were answered, we all gathered for the annual Kids4Peace Boston Camp Talent show. The acts ranged from singing, to magic, ventriloquism, and even a tutorial on to wear a banana (make sure to ask your camper how!). It was a packed day, but every minute of it was well spent in learning, laughs, and everywhere in between!

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