ABOUT THE CAMPAMENTO

The Campamento de la Paz en Pátzcuaro is an annual arts-based program that guides children, ages 6-12, through intensive exploration of an issue of community concern. Some 40 campers each summer have tackled subjects ranging from the environmental health of Lake Pátzcuaro, to plastics pollution, to reproductive rights, to immigration, its impact on those who seek work in El Norte and on families left behind. During a two-week session alongside their peers and a staff of creatives, campers mix fresh lessons and deep feelings about what they’ve learned and come up with a community theater piece performed on stage and also, in recent years, a video. Audiences pack a local theater for two performances as the session comes to its culmination; the videos are also available online. The Campamento’s fundamental mission is to develop a new kind of leadership in the community — young people who think with their heads and their hearts, who cherish peace between and among each other and who believe in conflict resolution through transformation. To that end, they learn to solve peer conflicts at camp using a set of principles called “The Three C’s”: compassion, courage and creativity.