+962
WELCOME
GATHER is the home for practical action to upend conflict. It is a platform to spark, fuel, and scale locally-rooted efforts seeking to change the status quo. Dear Friends, It is my honor to welcome you all to our inaugural changemakers’ summit, GATHER+962. This summit marks the beginning of a wider initiative launched by Seeds of Peace, a global leadership de¬velopment organization that over the last 22 years has developed a network of 5,000+ alumni in 27 countries, many of whom are joining us today. GATHER lies at the intersection of social change and conflict transformation: we believe that for core conflict issues to be resolved, other imbalances first need to be addressed, and real social and economic change—not just political—instigated. Indeed, in the face of the mammoth challenges that have scarred our communities for decades, change is happening, proving that the status quo of conflict, inequality or injustice is not our only choice. It is because of these signs of change, a refusal to accept what is, knowing what could be, that we’re launching GATHER. Through GATHER, are building a unique profession¬al network of changemakers. We encourage and inspire innovation, practicality, and out-of-the-box thinking, and support ideas that have the potential to advance measurable and scalable impact on existing issues. We do this through larger convenings, the first of which is GATHER+962, and through other professional and personal development programs, including our new fellowship program launching in the summer of 2015. Our initiative is global, cross-sectoral but works locally with leaders, both emerging and established. This summit comes after months of very hard work by an extremely dedicated team and in the midst of far from ideal political context.
This team is fully committed and equipped, thanks to its supporters, to its mandate and draws its legitimacy from you and your fellow changemakers back home. This year we have chosen a number of themes which inform the curation of the different sessions and will guide our collective thinking and ideation. Regardless of the topic, however, our aim and over-arching goal is to address issues through the lens of how progress might be advanced in practical ways. Our workshops, talks, and interactive sessions are designed to be a place for open discussion and active listening. I encourage you to be constructively rough on ideas, but not on your peers. This is an incredible opportunity for learning, connecting, inspiring, and being inspired. We’ve made sure to pack our short time together with as many activities, sessions, and meaningful opportunities as possible. We hope you will take advantage of every minute of it and soak up the people, the ideas—and the beautiful sun of the Dead Sea. Today, we jumpstart a process for change, on a scale and in a direction rarely to be found nowadays, and we’re very glad you have joined us in planting the seed of this incredible network that will change the world! Sincerely, Mohamed Rahmy Director of Graduate Programs