The sounds of teens singing, “I Ain’t Gonna Study War No More, Gonna Join Hands Around the World, Gonna Reach Out in Love, Not Fear, Gonna Make Friends With All I Meet, Down by the Riverside,” echoed through the halls of First Presbyterian Church in Allentown during the Young People Making Peace Summer Day Camp, held July 27-31.

Established by the LEPOCO Peace Center, the camp has been a part of the Lehigh Valley since 1990. Margot Hillman, one of the camp’s original teacher-facilitators, continues to help lead the program. This year, approximately 60 campers from across the Lehigh Valley, ages 5 to 13 and in kindergarten through sixth grade, participated.

Campers are divided into age-appropriate groups for activities held from 9 a.m. to noon. Throughout the morning, children rotate through sessions that include arts and crafts, music and drumming, and noncompetitive games designed by camp leaders.

One of the facilitators, Lauren Romo, is a teacher at 7 Generations Charter School in Emmaus. Originally from New Jersey, Romo stayed with a relative in Allentown as a teenager and attended the camp in 1994, when Hillman was one of her facilitators.

As an adult, Romo moved to the Lehigh Valley and wanted her children to experience the camp she remembers so fondly. Today, she serves as a facilitator alongside her former mentor, Hillman, and her three children are growing up with the camp.

Romo believes her experiences as both a camper and facilitator have made her a better person and educator.

“Campers leave at the end of the week with a better understanding of community and what it means to live at peace and be at peace,” Romo said.

“There is a vibe within the camp that celebrates being kind,” she added.

The camp has become a multigenerational tradition. Many former campers, like Romo, later enroll their own children because of the positive experiences they had growing up. In addition to her daughters attending camp, Romo also has a niece participating in one of the younger groups this year.

Many campers return each year and, as they grow older, become teen helpers and volunteers. Anjanette Mensah has attended the camp since she was 5 years old. She now serves as one of the camp leaders and shares the experience with her younger sister, Arianna. This year, the camp has 35 volunteers, providing roughly one volunteer for every two campers.

One volunteer, known as Miss Roberta, helps teens explore ways to incorporate kindness and peace into music activities. Participants contribute ideas that are then woven into songs promoting peace and understanding. Campers also learn about the history of the songs they sing.

Romo said all camp activities center on the theme of peace and help children understand how they can become peacemakers in their communities.

“The songs emphasize love, kindness and inclusion,” Romo said.

Like many organizations, the camp was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 through 2022, but it continued operating through virtual programming. Peace Camp promotes values that help children and teens learn peaceful solutions in a changing world. Its fun and creative environment encourages young people to practice “peaceful action in a safe place.”

The camp is held annually during the last week of July. For more information, contact the LEPOCO Peace Center at 610-691-8730.