If you had told me a few months ago that I would be relighting a 99-year-old torch, I might have smiled politely and nodded. However, here I am — holding a symbol that had once lit the night sky in 1926, passed from hand to hand at the first post-war YMCA World Conference in Helsinki.
My hands are steady, the participants silent… it’s time to relight the torch! This moment at the closing ceremony of a summer camp here in Kosovo was quiet, but it carried the weight of nearly a century of hope, pain, peacebuilding, and above all — friendship.
The story of the “Friendship Torch” begins in a time of great upheaval. It was 1926, just after the devastation of World War I. Representatives from 52 nations gathered to ask difficult questions, including: How can the YMCA be involved in peace-building and prevent future conflicts? This wasn’t just a conference. It was a turning point. For the first time, young people were full delegates instead of a parallel conference. For the first time, speeches gave way to small groups and shared voices… then on the final night, they lit a fire — a literal one — called the Fire of Friendship.
Senior leaders passed torches to the younger generation. One by one, the boys raised their flames and declared in their own languages:
“We leave this fire with a vision of a great Christian fellowship, conscious of difference but resolved to love.” — Shedd, 1955
That fire has flickered quietly for decades. One of those torches, signed by international friends, found a home in Greater Des Moines Y Camp, where it stayed as a focal point of youth programming for 99 years.
Earlier this year, in a moment that was completely unexpected, I received the torch from my friend Alex Kretzinger, Y Camp Director, with the blessing of Vardan Hambardzumyan, YMCA Europe at the Campacity training. The torch passed to Kosovo and it’s not just a heritage item. It’s a challenge. A reminder. A question asked 99 years ago that still echoes loudly in our times:
How will we be the bridge? How will we be involved in peace building?
As the relit torch passed around the circle of young people, at the first summer camp.in Kosovo it was a special and unique moment. I am sure this torch was relit many times at the Y Camp in Iowa but seeing it now pass around young people in Kosovo for the first time is a moment (and story) we will tell for many years to come.
Written by Adrian Davies, Camp Europe Media Consultant
