Six years ago, during the long, slow haul up through the Black Canyon Mountains, I sat on a Greyhound bus wondering what I had gotten myself into. I looked around at the other strangers on the bus, wondering if they even knew where they were headed. I don’t think that anybody could have known what was ahead of us in our journey. Eventually, people slowly started to meet one another. We quickly found out two things we all had in common; nobody really knew what this camp, that our bus was headed to, was about and, most of us were all strangers to one another.

Once the bus ride was over, we arrived at a place where we were surrounded by even more complete strangers who were yelling and singing and very excited about something. Little did we know, this 'odd' bunch of people was going to be the staff that would guide us through a week long experience that would change all of us in some way.

After the staff introduced themselves, they explained very little about this camp. It was clear that arts n' crafts and canoeing were not a part of the program. They explained that our title for the week was a 'delegate'. We weren't campers who were up for a fun week in the mountains. We were there to learn and experience a variety of things; that we represented our families, schools and communities; and it was to them that we needed to represent this camp called Anytown.

After this introduction, we broke into cabin groups and got settled in and then had dinner. After dinner, we had our first of six evening programs. That night we talked about issues of 'race.' There were a few delegates that had 'issues' to share. I could only listen and hope that they could deal with these experiences in their lives and move on. The program made me think some, but it would be the last time that week that I felt comfortable in the world that surrounded me. The next morning we broke into smaller groups called discussion groups. Like every other activity that week, each discussion group revolved around a specific theme. That day it was 'getting to know yourself.' As the group introduced themselves, it became outwardly apparent that we were diverse. Our group was composed of the following people: An African American Muslim female college student, a White Agnostic male teacher, a Jewish Male, an Asian female, a bi-racial female, a White male, an Egyptian Muslim female, an African American Male who

was a part of the Nation of Islam. Never had such a diverse group before surrounded me. Our group ended and for the rest of the day we did various activities, workshops, and programs. I was a little more open to listening at that point. When our discussion group met the next day the door to my sheltered life began to creep open, exposing me to the elements of the world that were cold and harsh. Members of our group began to tell stories of the way they'd been treated by others at school and in their neighborhood. I still had some doubt about their experiences, but my door was forever propped open when the Jewish male began to tell our group about how swastikas had been painted on his locker at school. My belief in the goodness of people was shattered. I then became a quiet listener for the rest of the week. I even listened and processed accusations of whites being the "blue-eyed devil." Throughout the week, members in my group explored a variety of issues impacting their lives. And while we told each other these stories, our differences became increasingly apparent, yet we became closer.

As the week went by, programs, exercises and workshops continued to teach us about each another and our surrounding world. Our differences became clear; some were celebrated and some were mourned. We thought, we shared, we analyzed, we cried, we sang, we laughed, we mingled, and above all we learned. By the end of the week, 70-80 people who didn't each another now shared an unspoken unity. We all left with something different.

I left with a new sense about myself and the world around me. Not only did I go to 'camp' for the first time, I went to places in my heart and mind that I had never knew I had a map to. I felt empowered to make a change in myself and the people around me. I also came back with confusion and mixed feelings. I felt guilty for what privileges I have because I am white and I wasn't sure how to deal with that. I also came back with a lack of words to explain what I had been through. I was emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically drained and had nothing to show for it except a small wooden clothespin called a 'hug.’ How as I to explain this to my family, friends, and people in my life the experience I had if no words could even describe it? To this day, I am still left with these questions and feelings. However, the things I have to show for his one-week experience continue to mount. These 'things' take the form of experiences. I have since then immersed myself in learning about issues of race, culture, gender, religion, sexuality, handicaps, class and various other topics that make us different from one another. I continue to be a part of the Anytown program, go to workshops, take classes watch movies, talk to people, read, anything to deepen my understanding about the world. My ideas of the world and how I fit into it are still ever changing. I still don't know how to tell people about my experience at Anytown, but hope that my immersion into the topic and the life I lead as a result is a good reflection of the program that I will be forever indebted to.

I am now also a part of the volunteer staff that gives a crazy first impression to Delegates as they get off the bus wondering what they had gotten themselves into. My experience as a staff member is different from my original Delegate experience. However, my borderlands continue to get shaped in many ways. I am a part of the programming that helps guide the Delegates through their Anytown experience, but my Anytown experience continues to take on new forms as I learn more for the different groups of Delegates I get to encounter.

A part of my experience also includes learning about the ins and outs of the program in general. Throughout the past six years, I have analyzed the program with those who know it best and have thought about almost all of the elements of camp.

I came across a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., which helped me to understand the Anytown program a little better. It says, "Men hate each other because they fear each other, and they fear each other because they don't know each other, and they don't know each other because they are often separated from each another." Throughout history, people have been conditioned to stay in their comfort zone, and therefore our differences are what have kept us a part, knowing and fearful of each another.

At Anytown, the first step of understanding the world of multiculturalism is to bring together a diverse group of people representing this world. That breaks down the first barrier - staying separated from each another.

The next step and entire process of the Anytown Program is for the participants to get to know each another in every way in which they identify themselves. Through Nightly Programs, Exercises, Workshops, and Discussion Groups, they share their own experiences, thoughts, and feelings with everyone. Topics such as racism, gender, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientation, physical handicaps, religion, and empowerment are raised. The most important aspect of the camp is that these issues are not 'taught' to the delegates. Rather there is a process and program that leads the Delegates to their understanding of such issues. It is through this sharing process that participates get to know each another and their differences. These differences in turn are celebrated or mourned. The celebration is about all the ways they identify themselves and the mourning starts when they learn that these differences are often the result of their pain. As Delegates see this pain, they see what prejudice is truly about.

It is when these emotions, thoughts, and pains are recognized that all the 'hows' and 'whys' of political reasoning of differences are washed away. It is an unsaid declaration that this pain needs to leave individual lives, which means ending prejudice.

By the end of the week, Delegates do not hate each other because they do not fear each other, and they do not fear each other because they each other, and they know each other because they do not stay separate. This is the key to unlocking the Anytown program ideology.

Another understanding of Anytown that I feel is crucial for the staff to understand is that not everyone walks away with the same experience. For example, when I was a Delegate, there was another Delegate who didn’t believe in all of concepts of unity that the staff was trying to teach us. He certainly challenged us Delegates to consider the other side of the issues. As much as I didn’t agree with his ideas and philosophies, my original experience wouldn’t have been the same without him. He wasn’t the last Delegate that I have met that didn’t embrace "The Anytown Spirit." For awhile, I felt sad for those Delegates who didn’t walk away with an feeling of having one of the best experiences of their lives. But as I have thought about the many ways my original experience continues to shape my life, I know this is an experience that has effects that are long lasting. So, as a staff member, when I see a Delegate go home without the exact message we were trying to convey, I don’t get too disappointed. I believe that as the staff takes the Delegates through the program, they plant a seed in the hearts and minds of each person. It may or may start to grow when they leave the camp, but it will start to grow sometime in their lives when the conditions are right.

My hope for the world would be that everyone could experience the Anytown program. Not only could they learn about others and expand their borderlands, but they could also learn a little about themselves as well. It is also an experience that is too incredible to miss out on. Using the word "incredible" stops short of describing what this experience is truly about. Again, one of my main struggles with this camp is trying to find the right words to explain to others what the Anytown experience is really about. I can only offer my experiences as an example of what this camp means to me. I hope that the wonders of the Anytown experience is explained through the passion I show for camp because I know that my words don’t do it justice. No matter what I can or can’t say about Anytown, it will always be a very important part of my life.

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