Our History
In 2002, following the September 11 attacks and an increase in anti-Arab hate in the United States, a group of Arab and Jewish mothers co-founded MEPC. The founding of the camp was supported by The Arab Center of Washington, Kadima, a progressive Jewish organization, and Seattle philanthropist Kay Bullitt. As is said about raising children: it takes a village, and MEPC was truly founded and maintained by a village. We can’t name every individual, but many dedicated people have contributed to creating and keeping MEPC running since 2002.
MEPC began in Kay Bullitt's spacious backyard on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Tents were set up for arts and crafts, science, and hospitality, and the campers and counselors played sports in an open field. The theme of the first year of camp was “The Peace Tree.” The Peace Tree is an olive tree that was created and built by Arab Children and their families.. One branch of the tree was filled by the children of MEPC with messages of peace. The Peace Tree was displayed and added to at several children’s festivals. The camp continued for five years with many activities tied to our connections with the Middle East. In the fifth year, the camp had grown to approximately 50 campers. The founding organizers decided that they didn't have the capacity to run a large camp and planned to disband.
The camp counselors got together and said no to disbanding, and youth leaders kept our camp traditions alive for the next five years. When they finished college and were moving on with their lives and careers, a new generation of former campers took over MEPC operations. And so we continued: learning, playing and creating a community through multiple generations of counselors and campers. The pandemic curtailed MEPC for several years, though the community maintained our connections through weekend family camps in the summers as well as online sessions.
Over the years, camp has been full of engaging learning adventures: campers have travelled back in time to places such as Andalusia; built arches to understand the science and technology of these structures; and learned about human rights and the rights of children. Activities include singing with Mary K, drumming with George Sadak and henna with Kree Arvantis.