Children Learning to Take a Stand

Caitlin Fountain is a 9-year-old girl with a serious mission: She wants people to take a stand against child abuse and discrimination and help the homeless.

“There’s a whole lot of things you can do for peace,” Caitlin said.

The Seal Beach girl is one of 53 Orange County youngsters taking part in Peace Camp at the Fullerton Arboretum. Peace Camps are held in cities all over the country.

They were created by the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom more than a decade ago to teach children the concepts of equality and justice and encourage them to become activists for peace.

“This camp is providing kids an opportunity to learn to get along with others, be respectful of the environment, and it’s empowering kids to stand up and have their voices heard,” said Chris Lamm, coordinator for the local Peace Camp.

“They’re learning that everybody’s voice is important.”

The weeklong camp concludes today with lessons on wildlife appreciation and a celebration of families.

Earlier in the week, campers wrote letters to the president of the United States, publishers of magazines and newspapers and hosts of television talk shows on topics ranging from children’s issues to racy advertising and homelessness.

They also learned how they could take a stand on a specific cause of their individual choice.

Joseph Villagomez, 11, of Anaheim said he wrote a letter to the publishers of Good Housekeeping magazine to tell them that most of the people featured in its stories and advertisements “are white Americans.”

“I told them to show people of more than one culture because it makes them look prejudiced,” Joseph said.

Amanda Heberden, 11, of Huntington Beach said she wrote a letter to TV talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, thanking her for regularly featuring children.

“I wrote, ‘Thank you Rosie for talking so much about kids on your show. Kids are people too,’ ” she said.