After weeks of planning, the youth camp sought to build bridges between the group itself, and then with the local community around Prosperous. Buoyed by Pope Francis’ urge for everyone “to go out to the peripheries” the youth camp visited various groups on the peripheries to build that bridge of peace.
On Friday 3rd July, the group headed to the Avon Rí Adventure Centre in Blessington. They learnt how to (practically) build bridges between different people in the group. Donal said “We were put into teams, left in a forest that we had to navigate around, and the only way we could do this was to work together.” The highlight of the day was a reward for all the great “bridges of peace” that had been built. Having told the group that they were “one of the best ever” the leaders at Avon Ri allowed the group to have a diving off the pier session – which is very rare. Only the best groups are allowed to do it – and this group numbered among the best!
On Saturday 4th July, the group was challenged with the motto: “Breaking Barriers” in order to build a bridge of peace. This idea was most certainly a challenge – but was most certainly helped by the workshop on “Peace and Violence”, led by Gavin Pentony, Daniel Hession, Donal Boyle and Maria Gavril. Laura, a participant in the youth camp from Limerick, said that this workshop was the “highlight” of the youth camp. The facilitators had just returned from a major youth conference in Egypt, and as part of the workshop they disseminated to the group gathered in Kildare what had been learnt there.
Saturday was also the chance to go out and make a difference in the local community around the Focolare Centre. One group of young people went to the Ronald McDonald House to cook for families of sick children in Crumlin Hospital. In just over 2 hours, a group of participants in the youth camp prepared a delightful spaghetti bolognaise and chocolate cake for over 35 people! Anthony, one of the principle ‘chefs’, remarked that the kitchen was very “stressful” but it was worth it in the end!
Another group of young people from the camp went to Hazel Hall Nursing Home in Clane, a stone’s throw from the Focolare Centre. “We brought cupcakes, we brought song, we brought chat, we brought a smile to each of their faces” remarked Conleth, one of the group that went there. The remaining group of young people made a permanent commitment to peace, with a peace mural at the Focolare Centre; it will stand as a reminder of what was accomplished in those days in early July 2015!
Saturday night was a chance to move from the local to the global outreach. A concert in aid of Syria brought together talents from all over the country to unite and send a clear message and bridge of peace to Syria. Artists wowed the crowds, performance after performance, with Elizabeth saying that often “there wasn’t a dry eye in the house!” The concert made over €400, which will be sent immediately to Syria to provide some urgent and much needed help!
On Sunday 5th July, the youth camp finished off their bridge of peace with a mass celebrated by the Bishop of Limerick, Brendan Leahy and a workshop entitled “Extremists of Dialogue”. This workshop had somewhat of a mystifying title, but when it was broken down by Elizabeth Boyle and Conleth Burns, it became “much more applicable to what the youth camp had learnt over the last few days” said Kiara. The workshop was a direct result of the leader of the Focolare’s (Maria Voce) speech to the UN in April, where she talked about the solution to today’s problems being found in an extremism of dialogue. A video was watched of Chiara Lubich (the Founder of Focolare) where she says that “this dialogue between different people (an extreme dialogue) is only possible with love, without love it is impossible!”
The youth camp was described by some as the “best I’ve ever been to!” and by others as “a chance to get the energy to lead a much better life.” When the group picture was being taken at the end of the youth camp, everyone knew that a bridge of peace had been built!
