By Adam Hayden
Cincinnati, Ohio — This year we had another beautiful Interfaith Harmony Camp experience. Twenty students representing five different faith traditions came together for a week of games, learning, and lots of snacking.
One of the highlights of the week was being at the Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati. It was so beautiful to see the Deities. They were adorned with amazing outfits and divine stories. It was inspiring to see and experience. That was upstairs in the Holy space. Downstairs, something very different took place.
There was one moment that day that stood out above all the rest. It was when one of our Episcopal teens interviewed one of our Hindu teens. During the interview, the crowd (i.e., the rest of camp) asked follow up questions. The day before, we did something similar. A Jewish teen interviewed two Muslim teens. Both of these interviews were important to what we do at Friends for Good. It is so powerful when teens talk to teens about their identities and their experiences. They weren’t up there representing their entire religion on their backs. They were representing their stories and their religion is one aspect.
It was beautiful to experience. To sit in the back and listen to the teens talk to each other and take questions from the group was exactly what we are about at Friends for Good.
I don’t like what’s going on in this world. I don’t like war. I don’t like how they start. I don’t like how they escalate. I don’t like how it affects people from death to injury to trauma to people not being friends over it thousands of miles away and several continents apart.
However, I do like peace. I like when kids come together and show us a different approach. I like how they look at each other as potential friends even if they don’t know each other, especially when they don’t know each other.
I loved seeing our teens talking about their lives with one another just after they tie-dyed t-shirts, ate cereal for lunch, or played the “trash can game.” During the course of the week, they came together to play games, eat delicious food, and learn about each other. And they did it so well.
Thank you students. You always inspire me.