Camp Creek Children Change World for One Day

Katie Stocks and Four Camp Creek Peacemakers

It might only take 14 children in a small rural Oregon school with different "visions" to change the world into a happier more peaceful place. On February 2, 2010, Camp Creek Children shared their papa-bear sized visions of peace as I sat and listened in a wee chair much too small. After each special thought, we all voiced a resounding "Yes!" together. 15 powerful "Yeses!" These kindergarten and first graders had formulated their peacemaking ideas with their teacher Katie Stocks earlier in the day. Thus, when it came time to write and illustrate them on postcards addressed to Oprah, they were eager. A little help spelling and penciling on the cards...that was all! They stood firm on their methods for a peacefilled-future world. At the end they clipped the cards to the butterfly peace quilt which would soon fly away as butterflies to the media star's PO Box.

28 cents per card and 14 more visions added to the 1,000,000 year's goal.

To those who are still wondering if Oprah will pay attention to these envisioners of peace and all of the 2000 plus others already sent, I doubt it. I'm a practical adult with closed categories of thinking, after all. My educated guess is that even if President Obama wrote a peace postcard to Oprah, there would be no response--especially if it were sent by snail mail and not twittered, texted, or talked.

However, after being taught by kids for 30 years, I have retained some sense of wonder. Miracles did and do happen...everyday...in the classroom. (That reminds me of the peace dove that landed on the window sill and kept returning as the butterfly peace postcards "flew away to be mailed."...another middle school story for another day.)

The truth is that just one of those cards inspired by the Camp Creek Children could become the tipping point to peace education and action. Wouldn't we all together say, "Yes!"

Consider this: These 14 Oregonian schoolchildren act as our leaders for peacemaking for one day. In that projected senario, adults they encounter agree to try to interpret what these small children suggest as ways to envision peace. What will happen? How will individuals, families and Facebook fans, clubs and congresses, countries and cities implement these wee teachers' suggestions? How will the simple words become translated, tweeked and implemented in the next 24 hours?

What could you DO with one(or more) of the following Camp Creek visions today?

1."Be nice."

2. "Stop hurting other people."

3. "No drugs."

4."Everyone needs a home."

5. ETC. (Stay tuned...more on their way...)