It’s the last night of camp. The candles are lit one by one until they form letters. C is lit first. Then, the I. Next, S. And finally, V. As they laugh, cry and sing together one final time, the circle of former strangers now feels like family.
CISV is a non-profit created to foster cross-cultural connections between children and create a more peaceful future. It holds summer camps for kids from around the world, and throughout the year chapter members can participate in local activities related to global issues and current events.
Junior Annmarie Carleton, Columbus chapter junior branch board secretary, explained people interested in attending camps must apply and interview; however, anyone can participate in local Columbus chapter activities, such as volunteering, baking contests and the group’s recent mock trial event.
“Each of the activities we do have some worldly theme behind them,” she said. “In our debrief, that’s when we talk about that theme, and we talk about how what we did relates to it.”
Carleton said debriefs are where the group discusses the things they learned and their thoughts following the activities.
Columbus Chapter Co-President Pete Klingelhofer said he has seen how rewarding attending CISV camps can be for students.
Sophomore Neve McCutcheon explained at one camp, she did an activity where the students were split into groups and given cardboard boxes and paper. They were told to create “cities” for a competition, but the judges smashed the cities when the participants left the room.
“That’s how people whose homes are destroyed in war feel,” she said. “It puts it into perspective.”
Carleton added throughout her time participating in CISV, she has seen how impactful these debriefs can be.
“It’s weird how quickly a bunch of 12-year-olds can actually get really deep about politics and societal issues,” she explained.
This summer, there will be an international summer camp held in Bexley, Klingelhofer said. The camp will run during June and July, so the kids will get to experience the Fourth of July in Bexley, he added.
McCutcheon said there are currently delegations from 10 different countries set to attend the camp.
“It’ll be four kids from each country and an adult chaperone, so me and the Junior Board are going to probably lead some activities,” she said.
McCutcheon said her family has been involved with the organization for years because all of her siblings were members and her mother was the president of the Columbus chapter.
She first attended a CISV camp in Cincinnati in 2023, she added.
“It was so enlightening and so much better than I expected,” McCutcheon said. “Meeting all these people from different countries, it opened my eyes to all this culture I’d never had the opportunity to experience.”
She added she was surprised by how many friendships she has made with people from different countries.
“It’s kind of insane how different we are, but I also never expected to have this much in common as well,” she explained.
McCutcheon said she enjoys the CISV camp traditions. One tradition is flag time, where the campers hold hands and sing the CISV song, she explained.
Sophomore Declan Scheid said his experience with CISV has taught him to view other cultures more openly.
“It’s good, especially in society right now where there’s a lot of tension worldwide, to remember we are all people,” he said.
“We may not have governments that agree or states that agree, but we all are people that eat food and laugh together.”
Scheid said he enjoyed hanging out with his new camp friends in Norway during their end-of-camp Gala Night.
“I felt like everyone at the end was one big friend group,” he explained.
Klingelhofer added the organization continues to foster lifelong global connections across borders.
“We help young participants develop their full potential as future leaders and active citizens to make a difference in their communities and the world,” he explained.
“We also give them the opportunity to build global friendships and networks that will last a lifetime.”
Published and digitized May 2026.
