History of The Organization
Natalie Luethi Peterson, the founder of the organisation, first met Pavey Lupton in 1944, when they were both studying in Wellesley College. The World War Two was still going on and both of them wanted to do something about the hostility between the countries that were in 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's Learning Experiments in International Living. The biggest support and inspiration came from Paul and Edith Geheeb – the fouders of the Freie Schulgemeinde, Odenwaldschule and the Ecole d´ Humanité, which still has a big connection with LPC.
The first LPC camp was located in Mösli, Switzerland, 1949 and lasted from August to September. At the time, the organisation was called Young Leaders International, but it soon had to be changed to Luethi Peterson Camps, because of the American sensitivity to communist uprising.
In 1968 there was a camp in Czechoslovakia (for the first time that year. Since 2010 the LPC tradition is renewed in Klinovice) when the country was occupied by Russia which was a big challenge for camp and mostly for getting back home.
For 11 years, Natalie directed almost every camp herself, but as the organisation grew one camp a year just wasn't enough. From 1959, more than one camp was held and new directors were trained. In 1974, the first older kids camp was held, and for a long time, older kids camps were always dedicated to a certain theme. Among those are hiking, music, dance, emancipation, etc.
In these days, LPC organises 4-6 camps every year in Europe and USA.
Read more about this topic: Luethi-Peterson Camps
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