High Country Peace Village Summer Day Camp

Our goal for our weeklong day camp in August is to bring children together to play and learn about peace making in preparation for a new school year. Giving kids an outlet for their creativity, laughter and thoughtfulness provides a foundation for them to practice empathy, listening, sharing and kindness.

Our camp leaders are from our High Country faith collaborative. We come together from a variety of backgrounds to build relationships and community. Day camp runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday with an optional extension from 2-5 p.m.

2023 CAMP DATES: August 14-18

The Summer Camp Curriculum

High Country Peace Village summer campers sit around a table learning from a camp leader; a bowl of fruit sits in the middle of the table and each kid has a bowl in front of them

We are crafting the High Country Peace Village experience on the original Peace Village Global main curriculum. Utilizing the special cultural pieces of living within these amazing Appalachian mountains with the gifts of the Blue Ridge a part of us, we seek to incorporate our unique living into these main peacemaking practices: 1) art & music, 2) mindfulness, 3) connection to nature, 4) media literacy, and 5) conflict resolution.

We understand that the first four practices create a foundation of support for any individual. These peacemaking practices are utilized in healthy ways when conflict arises. We understand that conflict is healthy and good when understood through a positive, life giving lens. Naming our differences means that we appreciate the diverse tapestry of gifts, outlooks, and beliefs.

Who the Summer Day Camp Is For

This 2023 camp will be for those children ranging from 8-13 years of age. There will be at most 4 small groups of no more than ten in a group broken into three age ranges of 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. This year, we can accommodate no more than 40 children.  In 2022, we began with eleven children from ages 8-11. We look forward to increasing the number of and ages in 2023.

2023 Summer Day Camp Details

Dates

August 14-18, 2023

Daily Schedule

  • 8:30 Arrival and Gathering time (breakfast snacks will be offered)

  • 9:00 Opening Circle (Body Movement, Singing, Introduction of the day)

  • 9:30 – 12:00 Rotations through the main “classes”

  • 12:00 – 12:45 Lunch and Downtime

  • 12:45 – 1:30 Afternoon session

  • 1:30—2:00 Closing Circle

  • 2:00 – 5:00 Optional, if needed, TBD

Pricing

We want this camp to be available to those children who seek to learn the ways of peace. We know that family budgets are as diverse as the people. The pay-as-you-can model has been successful in our area.

We are seeking $175/child for a full-pay registration. We will gladly accept what you are able to pay for your child to attend this camp.

Location

High Country Peace Village Day Camp will be created on the grounds of the Valle Crucis Conference Center.

Seeking to have a feeling of remoteness while still within easy driving distance, Valle Crucis Conference Center has access to creeks, hikes, outdoor places to roam and play. There are outdoor shelters in case of rain, large, covered porches to relax, great food for lunches and snacks, and friendly welcoming staff that know who we are because they live among us.

In 2023, we will use the Apple Barn and possibly Johnson Hall as our indoor location when we need to sit in a chair or to be inside a building. We are working on transportation from Boone if needed. Carpooling is suggested and we are willing to help coordinate this.

Three High Country Peace Village summer campers sit in rocking chairs on the porch at Valle Crucis Conference Center

Our Expectations

  • We expect to meet new friends that may not look like us or believe what we believe.

  • We expect that we will be outdoors more often that inside moving our bodies to engage our whole selves as much as possible. 

  • We expect that each one of us will learn and grow – adults and children – as we seek to learn about the practices of peace across our different ways of understanding our version of life.

  • We expect to receive questions that may not have clear, concise answers. 

  • We expect to experience different types of music, meal time prayers, and maybe even have fun with a large circle dance together.

  • We expect that if you commit your child to attend the Peace Village, this commitment is for all 5 days of camp. 

  • We expect to teach that faith formation is communal, collaborative, relational and that we are to be curious about how different realities can coexist.

Do you need more information or have questions?

Email us at hello@highcountrypeacevillage.org or call or text (828) 297-1092.