Convocation: Philip Lilienthal

Philip Lilienthal is the founder and president of Global Camps Africa, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower children for an AIDS-free tomorrow. Global Camps Africa changes the lives of South Africa’s vulnerable children and youth by providing HIV/AIDS prevention education and training through high-impact residential and day camp experiences and continuing education, equipping young people with the life skills that will support them in becoming safe and productive adults who have hope for the future. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia and a veteran camp owner in the United States, Lilienthal brought together his belief in the transformational nature of camp and his passion for helping people around the globe to create a powerful force in the lives of South African children. In 2013, the National Peace Corps Association awarded Lilienthal the annual Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service. Named for the first Peace Corps Director, the annual award is given to a returned Peace Corps volunteer who continues to make a sustained and distinguished contribution, whether that be to humanitarian causes at home, abroad, or through innovative social entrepreneurial efforts to bring out significant long term change. The title of his presentation is "Having Fun and Doing Good: Impacting HIV/AIDS Through Experiential Learning (the Camp Experience)."