The Children of Abraham Coalition held its annual Peace Camp last weekend, and this year’s peacebuilding program was the largest group to date. The cohort of 76 young people – middle school participants and teen and young adult leaders – gathered on Sunday and Monday. As always, the camp drew from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith communities, and this year, Peace Camp also included members of the Baha’i faith – another faith tradition considered to be an Abrahamic religion.
Day 1 included presentations from Jewish (left) and Muslim leaders and a visit from Cook County Board Commissioner Scott Britton (right).
The two-day program began at Temple Beth El on Sunday, moved to the Islamic Society of the Midwest later that afternoon, and convened Monday at Prince of Peace Church, which shared about its Christian tradition as well as hosting Baha’i presenters. Peace Camp uses tours, Q&A sessions, and discussions to help deepen understanding and build interfaith relationships. The camp then concludes with participants’ identifying active responses to their experience.
“The last hour of the event is just talking about how participants will bring this stuff home with them. So, middle school students stand up and say, for example, that they will stand up for people against hate, talk to an adult, and respond with advocacy,” COAC Founder Fr. Corey Brost, CSV, said. “For such young kids to be confident and informed to identify and respond to hate – it’s powerful.”
Fr. Corey relishes having a big crew of leaders. This includes Abbey Finn, who helped start peace camp as a high school sophomore and now helps lead it as an adult, while also now teaching high schoolers as a special education teacher at Buffalo Grove High School.
Day 2 included presentations from Christian and Baha’i leaders and group work on how to actively respond to religion-based hate as peacemakers.
“We have almost a one-to-one ratio between leaders and campers. The middle school participants then feel very special because they have a big brother or big sister figure there with them throughout the experience, and that connection has become integral,” Fr. Corey said.
Most leaders were campers when they were younger and want to continue building peace as leaders for younger kids. “You have young adults coming back as leaders, including some traveling in from around the country from places such as New York City. They decide to come back to Chicagoland and live out their commitment to this because of their meaningful experience as Peace Camp participants,” Fr. Corey said. “We even have one entire set of siblings, one leader who grew up on Peace Camps and two younger siblings coming along to learn the ropes.”
Muslims began the holy month of Ramadan on Tuesday night, and Christians began Lent with Ash Wednesday this week. (And the Jewish feast of Passover begins during Christians’ Holy Week in April.) May these holy seasons be times of spiritual growth and deepening peace!
Check out the Peace Camp history through these Viatorians.com stories from 2025, 2024, 2023, 2020, 2019, and 2018.