Luethi-Peterson Camps

Founded in 1948 by Natalie Luethi-Peterson, the Luethi-Peterson Camps (LPC) are non-profit, co-ed summer camps in different countries, that aim to foster international understanding by bringing together kids from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Officially, its stated purpose is to "be a project based upon the conviction that understanding is essential to peace and that such understanding can be best realized through personal friendship and mutual respect which such friendship engenders."

Using crafts, sports, music and language study as vehicles, LPC emphasizes self-government, guiding campers to take responsibility for themselves and their community. The campers do a lot of the cooking and cleaning and share in the decision-making. Accommodations and amenities are relatively simple. Attendees spend time trying to learn each other's languages and getting familiar with each other's cultures. Campers and counselors form friendships across all ages, genders, language, and nationalities.

What started out as a single camp in 1949 with campers from both sides of World War II grew as the number of campers wishing to attend increased. Today, there are usually between five and eight camp sites each summer mostly in Europe. With the exceptions of Freedom (located in New Hampshire), Birchpoint (located in Maine) and Heggnes (located in Norway), which are owned or administered directly by LPC, the sites are rented annually (e.g.: schoolhouses, farmhouses, holiday houses). Each camp is between 4–6 weeks with an average size of about 24 campers and 8 counselors. Camps are run for either younger children, ages 9–14 or older kids, ages 14–17.

Natalie Luethi Peterson, the founder of the organisation, first met Pavey Lupton in 1944, when they were both studying in Wellesley College. World War Two was still going on and both of them wanted to do something about the hostility between the countries that were at war with each other.

Natalie had earlier directed day-camps for kids in her town so she figured she had all the experience she needed to run a summer-camp. However, the biggest problems were to find people and financial support. Many people liked the idea so by small donations and personal connections, they finally managed to get enough to start the camp.

Natalie and Pavey found support in the American Friends Service Committee as well as the Wellesley College and Donald Watt, the founder of the World Learning's Experiment in International Living. The biggest support and inspiration came from Paul and Edith Geheeb, the founders of the Freie Schulgemeinde, Odenwaldschule and the Ecole d'Humanité, which still has a big connection with LPC.

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