Safe
Text by Robert Elliott Photos by Chris Ocken
I 14 The Lutheran •
www.thelutheran.org
Mikyra Paimer, 7, works on her art project during the week of Simsa camp, held at Reynoldswood, a Christian camp outside Dixon, Ill.
in the circle
Simba & Simsa save lives of at-risk youth
n a year in which gun violence and gangs have domi- nated the news, a 20-year-old ELCA initiative is making steady progress in the fight to save the lives of at-risk
youth in Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest. The Simba Circle began in 1993 as an Afrocentric camping experience for at-risk, inner-city boys between 8 and 17, mostly from Chicago’s South and West sides but including youth from such cities as Detroit, Milwaukee and Columbus, Ohio. While no longer directly under ELCA sponsorship, it continues under the umbrella of the nonprofit Rescue, Release & Restore (RRR), operating out of the ELCA’s Shekinah Chapel in Riverdale, Ill. Today the program includes separate camps for girls and boys. This
Elliott is a freelance writer and a member of Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Chicago.
year’s gatherings were held at Reyn- oldswood, a Christian camp outside Dixon, Ill.
The name Simba comes from the Swahili word for lion, famously the name of the lead character in Disney’s The Lion King. The found- ers converted it into an acronym for “Safe In My Brothers’ Arms.” The girls’ component, Simsa, stands for “Safe In My Sisters’ Arms.” The campers are referred to as Simbas and Simsas. Gaylord Thomas was one of those who founded the Simba Circle in 1993 when he was on the staff of the then ELCA Division for Church in Society. Now retired, he is a member of Shekinah and still active in the program. Thomas said Simba began in part as a response to the tensions within the African-American com- munity that erupted during the Rod- ney King riots in Los Angeles and other cities.
In 1993 it was rare for an inner-
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