In 1947, Natalie Peterson and Pavey Lupton, two Wellesley College students on their junior year abroad, traveled to war-ravaged Europe. Young and impressionable themselves, they were struck by the effect that the war had had on children, and by the end of their visit they had come up with a plan to bring together young people from different countries: a summer camp designed to build trust and inte
rnational understanding. They called it Young Leaders International and opened the first camp in Switzerland in 1949; but later, when Natalie married Armin Luethi, the name was changed to “Luethi-Peterson Camps” (LPC). Although the LPC concept is widespread today, it was almost unheard of in 1949 and success was anything but assured. Ten years later, two Luethi-Peterson Camps were held simultaneously, with the second camp organized and run by counselors Natalie had trained. As more children and young adults heard about LPC, the organization grew until as many as eight camps were taking place each year in several different countries. LPC never became one huge camp, however, because Natalie and her fellow counselors wanted to retain the small community feeling of the original summer camps. Since then, some campsites have been used each summer for many years, availability permitting, because they are particularly well-suited to the needs of LPC. Others have only been available for one summer. LPC has held camps in various European countries and in the United States. The organization owns a large farmhouse in Freedom, New Hampshire, and is able to regularly use two other sites in Birch Point, Maine, and Hegnes, Norway, both of which are owned by former LPC directors. Now, each summer, a different number of camps take place in a range of locations across North America and Europe, all of them overseen by experienced LPC directors from around the world. See the list of past camps for more details on when and whereabouts LPC camps have been held in recent years.
