Peace News Summer Camp

This year’s fifth Peace News Summer Camp was a satisfying, at times electrifying, five-day experience, bathed yet again in good weather and good humour.
The camp broke new ground in a number of ways. We moved to a new venue (in Diss, Norfolk); we invited international speakers for the first time (flying them in from Colombia and Egypt); we had an almost entirely new organising group, composed entirely of people of colour; and our presenters were mostly people of colour for the first…

Mohamed Moghazy and Dora Estella Munoz Atillo. PHOTO: Roy St Pierre Everything! Being welcomed by people, and being with like-minded people. The very interesting workshops – the more participation the better – the laughter, games & singing. Compost toilets, etc. Good food and generosity. Peaceful environment that reaches out to all. A kind and loving community. Good…

The theme for this year's Camp is "Taking a lead from the Global South", and the Camp will be featuring Mohamed Moghazy from the Egyptian Committees to Defend the Revolution, award-winning Nigerian performer Tayo Aluko and Dora Estella Munoz Atillo, a community organiser from the remarkable Nasa community in Colombia.

Welcome Dora!

This year, Peace News Summer Camp is honoured to be hosting Dora Estella Muñoz Atillo, a community…

Mohamed dresses for the UK summer

Peace News Summer Camp is proud to announce that Mohamed Moghazy, an organiser from the Egyptian Committees to Defend the Revolution, has accepted our invitation to speak at our camp at the end of July.

So, as well as the usual delights of PN Summer Camp – a warm and welcoming atmosphere, fascinating fellow campers, beautiful countryside, wonderful childcare and friendly campfire evenings – we are going to hear…

Peace News Summer Camp:
Jameela singing in the evening

This year’s Peace News Summer Camp (25-29 July) is something unusual in British peace movement terms; it’s a major event that has been put into the hands of activists of colour – people whose heritage is from the Global South (Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East). Beyond the peace movement, it’s hard to think of any major, regular activist event in the UK that has been mainly…

Considering nonviolent revolution at the PN Summer Camp. PHOTO: Beatrice Kabutakapua

This year’s Peace News Summer Camp was, as promised, bigger and better than ever before. The skies cleared and the ground dried out to give us a gloriously sunny five days (26-30 July). Mysteriously, the heavens opened after our camp, raining on the Earth First! Summer Gathering, which came immediately after us, also at the wonderful Crabapple Community.

We had over 220 people attending over…

When we look around the world, when we look around this island that we live on, it’s clear there is an urgent need for a total transformation of society and the economy: a radical democratisation, a drastic carbon cut-back, justice for the oppressed, and thorough-going demilitarisation in every area. Peace News has been committed to ‘nonviolent revolution’ for 40 years. How are we going to make progress towards this goal?

What do we mean by ‘nonviolent revolution’ and is it feasible…

I attended the previous two years’ Peace News Summer Camp and believe that this one was the best yet. Protesting and activism are probably the most meaningful things a responsible human being can do with their life today. But often there can be a high price to pay both psychologically and emotionally (if not through imprisonment and fines), for there is a lot wrong in this world, too many things to change (the list gets longer every year!) and seemingly far too few people who care about any…

The third Peace News Summer Camp in late July (not long after PN’s 75th birthday party) was the best yet. Over 120 people came together at the lovely Crabapple Community near Shrewsbury for five days of discussion, debate, tripod-climbing, singing, compost-toilet-making, marquee-erecting, collective childcare and brilliant entertainment from some of the most talented and committed performers on the circuit.

Of course, the core of the camp was the workshops. There was a joint workshop…

The first-ever Peace News Summer Camp was held at Westmill Farm near Watchfield in Oxfordshire from 23-27 July. Over 120 people came to take part in discussions, trainings and debates on topics as varied as nonviolence (does it protect the state?), education (can education be libertarian?), and the fate of the anti-war movement (who’s more to blame for our limitations, the Stop The War Coalition or the anti-authoritarian wing of the movement?).

Fuelled by wonderful (vegan) food…

There were torrents to the right of them and torrents to the left of them, but Peace News Summer Camp 2010 was remarkably free of rainfall, despite the weather forecasts and the downpours in surrounding districts. The weather was warm and pleasant, and so were the 120 participants!

Among the 43 workshops, there were three whole-camp discussions this year: first “How has the world changed?” about what had happened in the world and in the UK since Summer Camp 2009 (most people…

Chuck out the bombs and the bankers.
Prepare to turn the world upside down …

PEACE NEWS SUMMER CAMP 2011!

28 July – 1 August 2011
near Shrewsbury, Shropshire

More info: www.peacenewscamp.info
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/pncamp
Twitter: pnsummercamp
Contact: peacenewscamp@googlemail.com or 0207 278…

I didn’t think there would be such a mix of ages, but then people young and old set up camp, and the variety of workshops was fit to please all.
My favourite workshop was on the Saturday night. Les (a warm and bubbly activist) had organised a felt-making workshop. We stretched out warm and fresh lamb’s wool across a board, soaked it in hot water and soap, and then people began to dance on the wool to help it bind together.
An old record player boomed out old hits from bands such…