peacecamp 2014

PeaceCamp 2014 was a great experience for me. I'm glad that i made new and awesome friends that i would never forget, and I'm also glad that i learnt about new cultures from dances to languages to traditions to history, We played, sang and danced, it was a fun experience that could not be forgotten. Also it was a chance for me and my palestinian friends to express our feelings of being not welcomed in our land, to express and show what our nation goes through everyday, to show the other side that palestinians are humans and should be treated like ones, and should get back every single right that was taken away, it was a chance to hear perspectives and opinions even if it was hard to hear, I was very glad how we represented our feelings especially when we came in a time where there was a war going on back in our country and it wasn't easy but a lot were supportive and tried to help us get through it and i appreciate that.
Natalie Tibi, Palestine.

A Palestinian, an Israeli, an Austrian and a Hungarian go to the bar. Well it seems to be a start of an awful joke, but it actually happened in Lackenhof.
Before we arrived at the Vienna Airport the Peacecamp for me had been making posters, cutting classes to practise for the culture evening, travelling by bus, so everything was so ordinary and Hungarian. But from the airport meeting the Peacecamp became new languages, new cultures, new people, new thoughts, new ideas and new perspectives.
I’d thought that the warming up & feel good would totally destroy me in one and a half hour but - after the artist workshop and the meals - it was my favourite programme. It made my body, muscles and also my nerves free and prepared my soul and brain for the large group. Of course it was also a great fun to watch the sleepy faces slowly waking up in a tired way.
The large groups were new lessons for me. In these sessions I realised that the wars I considered to exist only in history books are real and absolutely current. Here I could see that the world is much worse than it seems to be.
The most amazing experiences were the practising for the show4peace and the show itself (in Lackenhof and in Vienna). During this time I got a lot of essential virtues for life: courage, self-criticism, confidence and trust. I learnt how to stand in front of people and express myself. For the present I can do this only by singing but thanks to the camp (and Lukas, without Him I couldn’t do anything) I will develop myself.
Now, after I have seen teenagers’ pain, the truth, and the dark side of the world I can see things in a more realistic way. So thanks for my teacher Szilvia Kneusel who invited me to Peacecamp and thanks for all the participants and organisers who gave me a lifetime experience.
(Mónika Nagy, 17)

This was Peacecamp 2014
When I signed up for Peacecamp this spring, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea what kind of activities were planned, what kinds of people I was going to meet, or what we were going to discuss in the Large Group. To be honest, I was kind of skeptical at first!
Well, it turned out to be an experience that deeply changed me and my worldview and something I am extremely grateful to have been part of.
When we met each other at the airport, the 31 strangers were just many faces and names I couldn’t pronounce…but very soon we started talking to each other, had a lot of fun and bonded as a group (and I think we grew very close in those 10 days!).
Especially the Culture Evenings and the Talent Show, and the big show in Vienna made me really happy and I was very impressed by all the cool dances the other delegations performed!

But naturally, we didn’t only have fun there…after all, we came to discuss important and difficult matters…this happened in the Large Group, which were mostly really interesting to listen to, but there were also many things that shattered me to my roots. So I had a hard time with these things, but it was vital that they have been voiced!

However, I didn’t only learn about new cultures, conflicts and problems in other countries, but also much about myself. On the one hand, the activities made me act more open towards others and more focused on what’s happening to the people around me, but on the other hand I also found out many things about my own identity, which was (and is) extremely important at this time in my life.

Each and every one of you (from the teenagers as well as the adults) played an important part in our group! And no matter how small or big that part was, or how much or how little you and I talked: I still think of you every day, and if we never meet again, I wish you as much peace as I can for your time on Earth…

Also, for the team: I know how hard it is to work with a large group of teenagers with that many differents points of view and motivate them to get up, WALK, stand up for their opinions and sometimes to embarrass themselves…thank you for doing that, you did a great job!

What I take with me from Peacecamp are not only lots of new awesome songs, language skills, cool dances, many good friends, but also an expanded mindset. And lots of beautiful, intimate, fun, awkward, hurtful and valuable moments.

Caroline Mocza, Vienna