By Andrea Uhde
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Josh Carias, 11, of Winton Place, originally from Honduras, gets water dumped on him during a game by Emily Bens 17, a junior counselor. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

They came to the Children's International Summer Villages camp from various Cincinnati neighborhoods, shy and possibly fearful of other cultures.

The children will leave today, two weeks later, with stomachs full of foreign foods and friendships they never thought they'd make.

Children from about 20 different cultures participated in the two-week camp at Clark Montessori School in Hyde Park, which ends today. The children, who live in Cincinnati and range in age from 10-13, are from Afghanistan, India, Mexico, Africa, Iran and other countries.

Before the camp, most of the children had never been exposed to many cultures. They'd never had the chance to see their names written in Arabic or to hold hands with children from Europe and sing a Scandinavian song to thank the chef for their meals.

So when they got the chance, they made the most of it.

Aaron Hanekamp, 12, who is German and African-American, made Indian, Jewish and Polish friends - people he said he wouldn't have met outside of the camp.

He participated in the camp last year and decided to return to build on the experience.

"I wanted to meet new people and I wanted to try to bring the purpose further by trying to bring peace to Cincinnati," said Aaron, of Winton Place.

The purpose of the day camp is to promote peace and understanding of different cultures. Each day has a theme, such as respect, trust and cultural stereotypes.

What the children have learned may bring peace to Cincinnati, said Carrie Dattilo, camp director. "As Cincinnati continues to see kids are getting along, it might over time get to break down some of the barriers that exist," she said.

The children learned how to trust by being blindfolded and having another child tell them where to walk. They learned about the importance of harmony by building a city with paper and boxes and then witnessing another group of children destroy it.

And they learned that regardless of skin color and religion, they all enjoy a good game of soccer.

"You've got to be honest and give chances," said 13-year-old Ala Alysheyyab, who moved to Clifton from Jordan two years ago.

The camp, in its second year, ends with a performance for the children's parents including dancing and skits.

E-mail auhde@enquirer.com