Multi-cultural summer camp: 1001 Nights

There are about 16 million inhabitants living in the Netherlands with a great diversity of cultural backgrounds. We seem to get along more or less, or so we think. But in reality, we have withdrawn into our own familiar camp and we barely know one another. In the last decades white and black schools have come into existence in the big cities; there are white areas and black areas; and the multi-cultural society we talk about is only a partial success. We live next to one another, not with one another.

A group of concerned, but very enthusiastic parents of school-age children in Amsterdam decided on their own to organize and lead a multi-cultural children's camp from the 26th to the 30th of July 2004. The purpose of this camp is to allow children (and their parents) from different backgrounds to "camp" together for a few days so as to become acquainted with one another's cultures, habits and ideas about life. A first, tenuous step towards a more tolerant society based on knowledge and understanding for one another instead of pre-conceived notions about one another.
The location of the camp was "De Paasheuvel" in Vierhouten. That is an idyllic spot in the centre of the Netherlands with woods and lots of space (Veluwe) and sufficient facilities to organize a different programme every day with both creative and sport activities.
The parents of the participants were asked for a small contribution towards the cost; the rest was paid by donations, from the city district of Amsterdam-West for example.

Moments of Joy donated 835 Euro to cover the expense of materials for the creative and sport programmes and to pay for the instructors for workshops in breakdancing and rapping.

From the 26th to the 30th of July, 28 children aged 8 - 12 from Dutch, Moroccan, Turkish, Egyptian, Moluccan and African backgrounds along with their parents/leaders had a fantastic camp in the Veluwe. In the beginning, the children, the boys in particular, were standoffish. But very quickly, the group activities allowed everyone to find his or her place and participate in everything with great pleasure. During the meals there were spontaneous talks and discussions about different (eating) habits and traditions. The leaders made use of these important, instructive moments to expand on the topics and offer various points of view.
The initiators and parents of the participants are convinced that even after such a short period of 5 days, the children gained more understanding for others with a different background and culture.

MOMENTS OF JOY PAID FOR MATERIAL, TOTAL € 835,--.