On the 22nd of July, 170 children ages 7-17 from 23 national communities from Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus have participated in the opening of the International Children's Camp “Roots of Tolerance,” which is taking place at the Latorytsa rest home in Mukachevo, Ukraine.

The participants of the camp are children from national communities of Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus, as well as child refugees and children from various minorities – Angolan, Afghani, Armenian, Assyrian, Bulgarian, Congolese, Crimean Tatar, Gagauz, German, Greek, Iranian, Jewish, Korean, Kyrgyz, Moldovan, Polish, Russian, Romanian, Tajik, Uzbek, and Chechen. They will all be able to immerse themselves into the national and cultural traditions of different people.

This is the fourth year in which refugees to Ukraine from various flashpoints have been participating in the camp.

The camp is taking place from July 22 to August 7 by the Congress on National Communities of Ukraine (CNCU) with the support of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Embassy of the USA in Ukraine, the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, the International Renaissance Foundation, the Danish Refugee Council, as well as other charities, sponsors, and individuals.

The aim of the project is to foster international and interfaith tolerance, counteract xenophobia, formation of an active civil position among the children of national communities, the dissemination of knowledge about the national diversity of Ukraine and other countries. The camp councilors – teachers of Ukrainian national communities – are specialists who have undergone special training at CNCU seminars.

The camp is working on a unique immersion method that consists of living each day as if all of the children were members of a certain culture. The camp also holds a Memorial Day for the tragedies of different peoples and Human Rights Day, as well as a Festival of Languages, in which the children will be able to acquaint themselves with 15 languages as taught by native speakers.