Testimony for Trust Building Camp (Gary Wagner, D.Min.)

Thank you for this opportunity to tell you what I experienced while attending the Trust Building Camp. I want to thank Ahmad and Ferry for their leadership throughout the event and their personal sacrifices to produce it. 

I found the concept of the Trust Building Camp to be initially almost impossible to imagine. It takes primarily young adults from two groups of people who have perhaps the most difficulty trusting each other. Those groups are Christians and Moslems. It brings them together and builds trust, understanding, and an amazing level of unity between them. 

The initiative seeks to actively engage these two groups with each other and create a cohesiveness that will work towards understanding and cooperation. In my view, they accomplish this. It is led by compassionate people from both constituencies. I detected no effort from any leader to seek dominance over the others. Their shared goal was strong and clearly sought. Sensitivity was shown to both faiths in everything that was done.

All the participants knew what the purpose was. There was no attempt by either group to convert anyone from the other side. The results are a remarkable sense of unity among all the participants as far as I can tell.

I did not attend this event in any official capacity. I was here as a participant. My purpose to attend is to research the method and the viability of such a venture. I hope to introduce these Trust Building measures to students and their leaders on public university campuses in the United States. They are proven and effective in resolving differences while not attempting to change the religious preferences of those in either side.

Leaders from each community are strong in their own faith, but displayed no over-riding ego. I would recommend this Trust Building Camp – also known as Peace Camp, to anyone.