Seeds of Peace In Action

FALL 2011

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION We are proud to be closing out 2011 having strengthened our impact around the world and having launched innovative programming. Our Seeds continue to provide real leadership in their societies and to engage in issues most others choose to avoid. Sixty Israelis and Palestinians will meet in Jerusalem for two days in December to examine questions surrounding Palestinian statehood, analyze diplomatic strategies and explore possibilities for moving forward towards peace. In addition, stay tuned for the much-anticipated launch of our new website, designed by a Graduate Seed and highlighting the breadth of our programming and the impact of our Seeds. We remain grateful for your support. —Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Facilitation course certifies Seeds to run dialogue sessions JERUSALEM | While some Seeds have just completed their first summer of dialogue, others are taking the step to gain professional training in the pursuit of peace.

Seeds of Peace will again be offering a Professional Certificate in Dialogue Facilitation and Conflict Transformation. This is the third time Seeds of Peace has offered the year-long course, and candidates applied in record numbers.

The 20 participants, both Seeds and new peace-builders, began the program on

November 4. Through their coursework and bi-weekly class meetings, as well as mandatory field service at Seeds of Peace programs in the Middle East, they are gaining theoretical and experiential knowledge and skills.

Continuing the Seeds tradition of communication and collaboration, they will lead critically needed constructive conversations with a remarkable network of Palestinian and Israeli peers on a regular basis. After successful completion of the program, participants will use their new expertise to serve as facilitators

at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine during the 2012 and 2013 summers.

Their work, however, will extend far beyond Camp in the coming years. As credentialed facilitators, graduates will lead dialogue between Seeds as part of our year-round regional programs. They will also extend support to Israeli and Palestinian organizations, contributing to a corps of new professionals in the nascent field. Their leadership and engagement will have a profound impact on the communities in which they live and work.

VOICE OF A SEED

‘We have common dreams’ HEBRON | Palestinian Seed Mahmoud (2007) continues to make headlines as a photographer and journalist. Mahmoud is a strong advocate for the role of youth in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and created one of 12 videos screened at a special session of the UN Security Council in December 2010.

More recently, he became a rallying force for Seeds and friends of peace worldwide after he was arrested in March while photographing a protest in his hometown of Hebron, one of the hazards of reporting from a conflict zone. Despite his week-long imprisonment, his commitment to peace is undeterred.

He says that Seeds of Peace affected his life “to the deepest point” and that his experience at Camp “was the beginning of my peace activism.”

“I discovered that [Israelis] were not just soldiers, settlers, tank drivers,” he recently told The Christian Science Monitor. “These were people similar to me. We have common dreams. I was seeing people differently than I did in the media.”

The following is an extract from Mahmoud’s blog: I want to draw attention to the most serious stumbling block to peace between the two sides the misinformation and dominance of political extremists and religious fundamentalists.

Young people in Israel and Palestine yearn for peace and a normal life, and if we really want to develop a future of peace between Palestinians and the Israelis which should include a seed of hope and readiness for understanding between the two sides then our leaders must be made aware of what is really influencing young people at mosques, schools and public places.

I believe that there should be action taken by young people for other young people, concentrating on giving both sides a clear and active role in the political process.

Young Palestinians and Israelis are excluded from the political process and any future progress must include a free and open education that raises awareness and expectations and limits the damage caused by ignorance and religious hatred wherever is comes from.

I call upon Israeli and Palestinian youth to send out a shared message of peace and reconciliation in front of the world community.

Seas of Peace program sets sail PORTLAND, MAINE | Conflict resolution took to the waves aboard a 140-foot schooner during the inaugural summer of Seas of Peace.

This July, 15 Israeli, Palestinian, and American Seeds learned the traditional sailing and navigation skills necessary to sail The Spirit of South Carolina while engaging in the same coexistence and daily dialogue that have made summers at the International Camp in Maine powerful for years.

While the combination of sailing and conflict resolution may seem incongruous at first, crewing a ship served as a tangible exercise in unifying disparate functions and roles in the service of a common goal.

Collaborative work aboard the vessel complemented a rigorous leadership curriculum, and Seeds ended the voyage more connected to each other and more assured in their visions for a peaceful future.

Seas of Peace is the initiative of David Nutt and Monica Balanoff, two Seeds of Peace counselors and recent Dartmouth graduates who received Dartmouth’s Richard D. Lombard, ’53 Public Service Fellowship to launch the pilot program.

Seas of Peace amplifies possible opportunities for second-year Seeds, providing a complement to Camp and a way to delve deeper into the experience of coexistence.

This first group of sailors lived up to Monica’s vision of “challenging the participants to truly engage with each other—offering them no choice with whom they interact.”

Before hoisting the sails of The Spirit, the Seeds spent 10 days learning how to navigate small boats on Casco Bay and translate

their leadership skills into action by working with local non-profits in community service.

While many might experience cabin fever on the seas, these young peacemakers united around their shared mission and made the most of every day, finding enjoyment in each other’s company as well as in their ocean environment.

Their blog (www.seasofpeace.org/blog), updated daily during the program, showcases the rapport and confidence that the crew developed during their three weeks together.

In this communal record, comments about “laughs and gleeful conversation” and the importance of plankton mingle with mentions of “the idea of dignity” and “team cohesion.”

As early as their third day on the Atlantic, one participant writes, “we were getting at the idea of how we can be optimists about the future in the days and years to come, and what we can do as individuals to make a difference.”

This first group of sailors returned from a profound experience at sea with strong friendships and renewed hope. We are already planning for next summer’s voyage.

Watch a video of the sailors performing their self-composed “Sea Shanty” at http://bit.ly/sopshanty.

South Asia Seeds as social entrepreneurs MUMBAI | Seeds of Peace has initiated a program partnership with Ashoka to provide social entrepreneurial training to Afghan, Indian and Pakistani Seeds. The new Seeds Ventures program gives our South Asia Seeds the tools needed to develop innovative, effective approaches to societal issues while emphasizing the power of youth leadership and cross-border cooperation.

Ashoka Youth Ventures “inspires and invests in teams of young people to start and lead their own social ventures.” The partnership adds an important new dimension to our programs. While Seeds of Peace as an organization connects and empowers young leaders, it is now launching the Seeds themselves as the actors who must change the future.

Seeds Ventures is now in full swing. A series of local workshops and an online training has already focused on social innovation, needs assessments and project planning.

Seeds worked under Seeds of Peace mentors to develop social impact projects focused on issues of particular concern to them and then submitted proposals online for small grants to

carry out their ideas.

Those whose projects advance to the second round will present their proposals in person to a panel of government officials, and local business and non-profit leaders. The strongest projects will receive funding.

Throughout all aspects of the program, teams in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan communicate through video conferences and social media platforms in order to gain insight into each other’s lives and perspectives, and the issues affecting their communities. They share their struggles, learn from each other’s experiences, and look for appropriate opportunities for cooperation.

Ultimately, Seeds will gain a concrete understanding of the issues affecting their societies and the steps needed to create change, as well as the skills, confidence, and opportunities needed to have an impact upon their world today.

In 2012, Seeds Ventures will launch a program to equip Middle East Seeds with the skills to develop innovative, effective approaches to conflict-related challenges.

Vibrant post-Camp regional programs • 100 Israeli and Palestinian Junior Seeds are providing translation work and entertaining activities to patients and their families at a Tel Aviv hospital through the Save a Child’s Heart program.

• Indian Seeds organized the second annual Mock Parliament program this August in Mumbai, during which Seeds and their classmates learned to understand the challenges facing the Pakistani government.

• Over 40 Seeds and family members gathered for a Ramadan iftar meal at the Salam Restaurant in Gaza on August 20. Other iftars were held in Amman and Jerusalem.

• Pakistani Seeds submitted their community development projects before a Seeds Ventures panel for review on August 27.

• 76 Israelis and Palestinians who were at Camp this summer attended a reunion in Jerusalem on September 16.

• Palestinian negotiator and Seed parent Dr. Sa’eb Erekat spoke to 65 Seeds in Ramallah on September 30 about the Palestinian statehood bid, having just returned from the UN.

Multinational explores ‘People Power’ and the Arab Spring AMMAN | At the first Middle East multinational conference for younger Seeds in over a decade, 55 Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian, and American Seeds united in Petra, Jordan, for a week under the guidance of 10 Graduate Seeds to explore the power of young people to create peaceful change.

They worked together to analyze and appreciate the development of worldviews and the ways in which these shape the present.

Seeds examined the forces and structures that underlie current societal dynamics, identity formation and reinforcement, the difference between power and influence, and the concept of personal agency.

At the close of the People Power program, the Seeds explored various tools and methods that have been employed successfully by young people in the pursuit of change throughout the world, gaining comfort with them during a final simulation.

The Seeds appreciated the practicality of “really eye-opening” workshops, designed and taught in their entirety by Graduate Seeds and ranging in topic from business to national identities, that emphasized the translation of ideas into actions. As one Seed commented, “We’ve got the chance to turn what we learned from Camp into something that can affect our society.”

Participants met with the Commission for Community Development in Petra, as well as with senior US diplomats.

Before People Power, American Seeds spent a week in Amman meeting with local

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NGO representatives, volunteering with a community service project, working on their Arabic vocabulary, and learning more about the history and role of the United States in the Middle East.

In hallmark Seeds of Peace style, the multinational was an opportunity for Seeds to travel and live together. At at time when crossborder contact among Arab and Israeli youth is exceedingly rare, this diverse, tightly-knit gathering was exceptional.

The Graduate Seeds who led the workshops reported that this event, taking place at a pivotal moment in the history of the region, counts among the best programs that Seeds of Peace has ever run.

“People Power is the first Seeds Reunion I

attended since I returned from Camp,” said Hatem, a 2010 Egyptian Seed. He called the program “an effective, extraordinary experience that I will surely never forget” and cited “the two excursions in Jordan, the awesome workshops” and “seeing so many Seeds and spending time with them” as highlights.

“The things I learned will always be pillars in what I do in becoming a better leader in my community.”

Clearly, our older Seeds have transferred their energy, knowledge and enthusiasm to younger Seeds. One Egyptian Seed was busy planning for the future before the program had even ended: “When I get back, I can’t wait to apply all the things that I’ve learned.”

SUMMER 2011

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION I’m writing as we start the second session of Camp while anticipating the return of our American travelers from the Middle East and our sailors off the coast of Maine. This has been one of our richest summers ever, and we look forward to an equally full edition of Seeds of Peace in Action this fall, when we tell you about People Power, Seas of Peace, and the amplified Educators’ and ongoing regional programs. We are incredibly grateful to the many people who made this extraordinary summer possible, from you, our

supporters, to the hundred Toll Brothers volunteers who hammered, sawed and swept Camp into shape, to the counselors, facilitators and support staff who provided the Seeds a life-changing experience. Thank you. —Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Skype-bridged dialogue: an American Seed’s initiative NEW YORK | American Seeds are also building on the power of their Camp experience: recently, Jacob Blumenfeld-Gantz (Camp 2006) together with his college roommate Corey Metzman created Dorm Room Diplomacy (DRD), a program that aims to cultivate mutual understanding for young people in the Middle East and United States.

This program won accolades from longtime Seeds of Peace champion President Bill Clinton. This April, at the Clinton Global Initiative University 2011, President Clinton noted that Dorm Room Diplomacy echoes Seeds of Peace—“the most astonishing example of this kind of interaction I have personally

witnessed”—as he honored Cobi and Corey at the award ceremonies.

Dorm Room Diplomacy is coupling University of Pennsylvania students with college students in the Middle East, engaging them in weekly two-hour facilitated dialogue sessions using online technologies such as Skype.

In these conversations, students have the opportunity to go beyond media coverage in understanding issues. They examine their own assumptions and even biases, and build cultural connections.

Cobi drew on his Seeds of Peace Camp experience in crafting the new initiative and serves as one of the program’s facilitators.

Camp for Cobi was “eye opening” as he was able to hear many personal narratives from the Middle East conflict. He wanted to make such opportunities more broadly available. Dorm Room Diplomacy is a forum to “discuss the undiscussable.”

VOICE OF A SEED

‘Be the hope for the hopeful’ OTISFIELD, MAINE | Jehan (Indian Delegation 2008, 2011) addressed his fellow campers at the first session of Camp on June 29. He implored new campers to understand the magnitude of their work and time together, and to think, then act, in the name of peace.

Here, he shares an abbreviation of his remarks; for the full version, please visit www.seedsofpeace.org/jehan.

Largest Camp session ever in Maine OTISFIELD, MAINE | At this pivotal time in history, when the power of young people to bring about change is being demonstrated in countries across the globe, the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine hosted its largest ever summer session.

There, in a safe and secure environment, 190 remarkable Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Indian, Pakistani and American teens met their historic “enemies” face-to-face (often for the first time) and began to develop the friendships, understanding and trust necessary to build lasting peace.

“I was really scared to come here,” wrote an Israeli camper at the end of the session.

“I met my enemy. He doesn’t have wings or a tail. He was a kid. He was a kid just like me.”

An Egyptian camper wrote about being partnered with an Israeli on the high ropes course. “I’m not afraid of heights, but in this particular situation, I had to depend on him for balance ... He had to close his eyes while

he walked on the rope. I thought he wouldn’t accept, but he just smiled and said, “I trust you.’ ” For three and a half weeks, the Seeds worked hard and played hard. Through bunk life, daily dialogue sessions, sports and other activities, they discovered their common humanity and former enemies soon became friends. The apprehension and fear that many of the teens experienced when they first arrived at Camp turned to tears on departure day as they took leave of their new friends and prepared to face the challenges of home.

The transformative Camp experience is just the beginning of a long journey for the Seeds. Year-round Seeds of Peace programs in their respective communities keep them connected and provide the knowledge, skills and relationships they need to become agents of change and make their mark on the world.

Read the Camp blog at www.seedsofpeace.org/camp2011

We all wake up to the most beautiful lake in the world, the greenest grass. And the first thing we do is jump out of our bunks and charge for the shower house. Just when you think you’re going to have a nice hot water bath, someone overtakes you and steals your precious first place. There is anger and conflict in the bunk for around 30 seconds and then we’re all friends again and another happy day at Seeds of Peace begins.

Now, multiply that “conflict” by a million and that’s what’s happening in the world. To make that million a zero—well, that’s why we come to Camp.

A great leader once said, “Dream, dream, dream. For dreams transform into thought and thoughts result in action.”

We’ve all been dreaming and at Seeds of Peace, we’ve got to think—just coolly, calmly, and collectively, think. Think of yourself; think of the other side, and then think of the millions and millions of people we represent.

We just think and at the end of Camp we return home, and act. We act because we want to have an impact; because we don’t want our family to be afraid. We start acting because we want the world to smile with us.

To many, a world without boundaries—no fear, no war, no nuclear weapons—is a farfetched dream. But it’s not. It really isn’t. Not when we Seeds are around.

Seeds of Peace changes lives. Camp shows what a world full of smiles looks like. I have learned to smile a brilliant smile all the time.

We children can’t go to a nightclub, but we can make the entire world dance to one rhythm. We can’t get a tattoo, but we can ink history. That’s how Seeds of Peace empowers us. That’s the power we have to make the world a world like Seeds of Peace.

So, be the hope for the hopeful; be the motivator and the motivation; be the story and the storyteller; be the teacher and the teaching.

Be a Seed of change; be a Seed of love; but, most importantly, be that Seed of peace who makes a difference.

2011 SPRING DINNER

Seeds head organization’s Middle East programs JERUSALEM | This summer, we continued to build a leadership of Seeds in our programs.

Most recently we welcomed Ethan Schechter (Camp 1994) as our new Middle East Program Director following the June appointment of Mohammed NasserEddin (Camp 2002) as Director of Palestinian Programs.

A few months ago we said a sad goodbye to Sawsan Samara (Camp 1998), who guided our Palestinian programs for almost four years and then decided to pursue graduate studies. Sawsan left big shoes to fill, but we are delighted that a team of Seeds is now in place.

Mohammed has been an active participant in regional programming for more than eight years, and brings great professional experience, passion for Seeds of Peace, and vision for Palestinian programs. After earning a bachelors degree at the University of Jordan, he began his working life with the American Chamber of Commerce in Jordan and then spent two years as a program officer with the Norwegian Refugee Council in Palestine.

Mohammed is also a partner with the Oxfam International Youth Program. He is multilingual (English, French, Hebrew as well as his native

Arabic) and will be working closely with Mohammed Isleem, our Program Director in Gaza, and fellow Seed Eldad Levy (Camp 1998), our Israeli Program Director, who joined us in September 2010.

Ethan, who has known Seeds of Peace almost from its inception, will work to strengthen a coordinated, connected program for Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian Seeds. We have been looking for a Middle East Programs Director with strong knowledge of Seeds of Peace and have in Ethan a Seed, former counselor and regional program coordinator (2002-2003).

Ethan holds a Masters degree in Coexistence and Conflict, and has worked at the United States Institute of Peace and CDA Collaborative Learning Projects, a non-profit committed to improving the effectiveness of international actors who provide humanitarian assistance, engage in peace practice, and support sustainable development. Ethan will be moving to Jerusalem this summer. This strong team knows first-hand the challenges and needs Seeds face as they return home, and launched their connection to the newest Seeds by visiting them at Camp in Maine.

Two powerful women, noted journalist Kati Marton and Carlson Chairman Marilyn Carlson Nelson, affirmed the importance of Seeds of Peace as guest speakers at the Spring Dinner on May 18. Marton (above) accepted the John P. Wallach Peacemaker Award given posthumously to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke and Nelson (below) accepted the Corporate Peacemaker Award on behalf of her company, Carlson, which provides worldwide travel services to Seeds of Peace.

Using media and Homestays to build unity in South Asia MUMBAI | In May, 32 Seeds from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India participated in Voices of the People—an eight-day regional Homestay program in Mumbai, India designed to teach Seeds how to use media to generate awareness and understanding of varying perspectives on issues central to the conflicts in South Asia.

During the conference, Seeds worked in groups of three—one from each country—to learn videography, photography, and creative writing.

Local educators who participated in our Adult Educators program at our International Camp were on hand to teach techniques and serve as resources for each group. Seeds were invited to propose their own ideas for a group project, and each team produced media content around its chosen topic.

Themes ranged from religious coexistence to marriage, corruption, and even food distribution. Each group worked together to produce

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a narrative, photo gallery and short video.

As part of this initiative, Seeds built a website to showcase and house the content they created. They will continue to update this website monthly.

Voices of the People culminated in a media exhibition where Seeds presented their projects to an audience of more than 300 friends, family members, partners and local educators. Those in attendance had the opportunity to hear from each group of Seeds about their projects during an enthusiastic question-and-answer session. Two of the most popular presentations were “Coming Together with Cricket” and “Bonding through Biryani.”

Visit www.seedsofpeace.org/vop to learn more about these and other projects created

by Seeds.

Since its launch earlier this year, the website has already begun to provide an accessible platform for peer-to-peer and peer-to-community sharing and dialogue. Teachers, community

leaders, NGOs and others working toward peace have begun to benefit from the VOP website as Seeds have shared stories from the site formally and informally with their networks of peers. Currently, the VOP site has an integrated Facebook connect feature, which allows for ease in sharing the contents of the site as well as for live interactive feedback on the stories.

A critical component of this project was the Homestay. More than 15 Indian families played host to Seeds from Afghanistan and Pakistan, allowing Seeds to experience the family environment of their counterparts.

Simple things such as morning wake-up routines, family time around the dinner table, and evening chores and activities helped to build unity across borders.

Through this shared living experience and afternoon trips around the city, Seeds immersed themselves in the daily life that makes up the local culture.

SPRING 2011

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION At a time when the power of youth in the Middle East is on full display, the need for our conflict resolution programming and leadership development is all the more pressing. For nearly 20 years, Seeds of Peace has been empowering a new generation of leaders uniquely capable of and committed to promoting dialogue and peace—and they are at the forefront of efforts to bring change to their regions. On behalf of our Seeds around the world, huge thanks for all you are doing to allow our work to continue and to grow in these remarkable times.

— Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Seeds on the Front Lines of Peace in Egypt CAIRO | Drawing on leadership skills acquired through Seeds of Peace, Egyptian Seeds have been deeply engaged in many of the changes sweeping their country.

In Tahrir Square, Seeds protested peacefully and helped shape opinion about the demonstrations through reporting and information sessions.

Seeds also initiated events ranging from fundraisers to dialogue groups for young people.

Journalist Mona El-Naggar, a Seed from 1999, helped US audiences make sense of the revolution through her reporting from Tahrir for The New York Times.

Mona wrote or contributed to dozens of stories, many front page, in the Times and authored a New York Times Week in Review piece, ‘The Legacy of 18 Days in Tahrir Square.’ She also appeared on Charlie Rose twice to share her analysis of the situation.

Another 1999 Seed, Mostafa Fahmy, filmed a music video in Tahrir called The Voice of Freedom. The video went viral, receiving 800,000 hits in its first four days on YouTube and has now exceeded 1,300,000 views.

“I used passion and all my abilities to peacefully defend what I believe in,” Mostafa says. “We made the song with love and pride. We wanted to make our voices loud—really loud—for all the world to hear.”

To view Mostafa’s four-minute video and read more about its creation, please visit www.seedsofpeace.org/freedom.

As the protests wound down, and the demonstrators headed home, world-wide

audiences were touched by the headlines of youth clearing the protest sites of litter.

In fact, Seeds organized a day-long community service activity to clean up after their compatriots, removing refuse and rubble from the streets.

The commitment to peace is enduring, and Seeds are creating new NGOs to sustain dialogue, writing op-eds and continuing to organize the youth voice for peaceful change.

Preserving History in Afghanistan

Dialogue Across Indo-Pak Border LAHORE/MUMBAI | Pakistani and Indian Seeds held a direct video conferencing session in January as part of a series of meetings that will help the two sides gain a deeper understanding of each others’ socio-cultural and political systems.

The series will prepare Seeds for a threeday Mock Parliament, scheduled for this summer, during which Seeds will simulate each others’ parliaments by stepping into the roles of legislators from across the border.

The video conference series addresses issues that include the role of youth in promoting peace and non-violence, the Taliban, social entrepreneurship and community work, terrorism in the subcontinent, and the Indian elections.

During the video conference, three

Indian Seeds presented to their Pakistani counterparts the working of the Indian Parliament and system of governance, covering topics like the role of the civil service and media, recent judicial activism, local self-governance, representation of women in politics and efforts to keep India a democratic republic.

Their presentation was followed by an interactive question and answer session with the Seeds in Lahore, who asked about India’s electoral system, whether there were any benefits to reserving seats in parliament for women and minority groups, and about the secular image of, and the place of Muslims in, the politics of India.

Pakistani Seeds will present their form of governance to Indians in an upcoming video conference.

KABUL | Mujib Mashal, an Afghan Seed from 2002, initiated the “2011 Stories from Kabul” oral history project and led its first workshop in January.

Mujib, who trained at the Columbia University Oral History Summer Institute, imparted the skills he developed interviewing compatriots in his own coursework to a group of 13 younger Afghan Seeds.

In Afghanistan, a country where oral tradition is the central vehicle for preserving history, a rich national narrative is being lost, a casualty of war and insurrection.

When these stories go untold, a nation’s lessons, pride, culture, and identity vanish.

“Through this project I can learn a new way of expressing all those stories that have dried up on every single Afghan’s lips,” said project participant Feroz.

“We discussed the importance of oral history in Afghanistan at a time when factual histories of the atrocities of the past four decades cannot be written because those who caused the atrocities are still prominent,” Mujib said.

“Our generation is also working with an absence of archives, what traditional histories are based on. So oral history can play a massive role here—to record stories that are at risk of being lost.”

Mujib taught the Seeds the basics of interviewing, transcribing, and writing narrative pieces based on their interviews with their elders. Some interviews relate nostalgic tales of youth. Others are filled with accounts of misery and suffering.

The collection of stories will be published later this year in their original language (Pashto/Dari) and in English.

Jerusalem: A Core Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Issue JERUSALEM | Sixty Israelis and Palestinians (from across the West Bank) engaged in two days of dialogue exploring Jerusalem, one of the defining unresolved issues of the conflict. By connecting the discussion to these issues directly, the seminar aimed to build on the Camp dialogue sessions.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Seeds met by delegation to research topics relating to Jerusalem. The result was six hours of focused dialogue that gave the Seeds a much deeper understanding of the challenges that face Jerusalem’s residents, as well as concrete action plans to address some of these issues.

“The dialogue was so much more insightful,” said one Israeli Seed. “It was more mature than Camp. I now understand the Palestinian point of view referring to how Jerusalem should look, and sympathize with their situation of living under occupation.”

Two guest lecturers spoke about Jerusalem. Elie Isaacson, a spokesman for the Jerusalem mayor’s office, discussed various city policies.

“I was impressed by the very high level of questions asked in ways that demonstrated a genuine desire to learn and to understand complexities, in an overall constructive environment,” Isaacson said, calling the Seeds “a group of exceptional young people who quite possibly possess the right mix of conviction and open mindedness that is capable of leading us to a very different future.”

Aziz Abu Sara, Director of Middle East Projects at the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution at

Conflict Resolution Week in London LONDON | As they led a full week’s worth of classes for students of all ages during the American School in London (ASL) Conflict Resolution Week in December, six Seeds—three each from India and Pakistan—saw their own life lessons from Seeds of Peace profoundly reinforced by imparting them to American and British students.

The Seeds conducted classroom visits and met with the South Asia, Model UN, and Amnesty International clubs on campus. The ASL students gained exceptional insights into the South Asian conflict, as well as practical methods for resolving conflict through purposeful dialogue in their daily lives.

The Seeds of Peace network offered an experience that no other group could provide. For example, in Peggy Elhadi’s 9th grade English class, which had just finished reading Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, students were eager to ask someone from Afghanistan whether the novel reflected the reality of life under the Taliban, how women really felt about the veil, and how families handled the restrictions imposed on them.

Although our Afghan Seeds were unable to obtain visas, technology bridged the distance. The class wrote interview questions and Seeds of Peace arranged for two ASL students to record an interview

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with one of our Afghan alumni via Skype.

(The time difference did not allow the full class to join in real time.)

Students were captivated as a young woman, close in age to them, answered each of their questions. Every page Hosseini wrote, she said, resonated with her life. She highlighted a particular incident near the end of the book that depicted a young woman being stoned to death at a sports stadium, and spoke of the day that her father and brother returned home from the nearby stadium with news of a similar event.

She assured them that the novel’s passage was not a flight of imagination. She went on to discuss the meaning of the hijab and spoke firmly about the importance of women’s choice in wearing the veil. She briefed them on the complicated history of Afghanistan, life in Kabul now, and her hope for the future. She made their assigned text come to life.

The Seeds, invited from Lahore and Mumbai to London by ASL, were impressed by thought-provoking questions and responded with their reflections on the importance of distinguishing between governments and people.

Following one of the activities led by Seeds, an ASL student commented, “If we kids understand what needs to be done to create peace, why don’t the leaders?”

George Mason University, spoke about his personal experiences of the conflict in Jerusalem.

Older Seed Peer Leaders (PLs) led activities and dialogue throughout the seminar.

Thus the event was also an effective apprenticeship for PLs, who won the praise of the younger participants.

“Dialogue is about understanding the other’s agenda and state of mind [and] the PLs made it happen,” said one younger participant.

Graduate Seeds Orient New McKinsey Partners Jerusalem | As part of the McKinsey & Company Global New Partner Orientation week, recently held in Jerusalem, pairs of Israeli and Palestinian Graduate Seeds teamed with groups of new McKinsey Partners to engage in dialogue, and explore the theme of leadership and ways in which a new generation of leaders can pave the way to a more peaceful future in the Middle East.

A total of 40 Seeds joined 250 McKinsey Partners and their spouses for a full day of formal and informal gatherings.

“The Seeds of Peace were the energy, passion and drive for the whole atmosphere of the day,” said one McKinsey organizer. “The Seeds’ engagement and interaction transformed strangers into friends.”

In addition to the opportunity for Graduates to tell their personal stories of living in conflict, the event allowed the Seeds to reconnect with one another and network with some of the world’s leading business professionals.

“We could not be more grateful to McKinsey for including Seeds of Peace in their program and believing in the importance of supporting local initiatives and voices,” said Seeds of Peace Executive Director Leslie Lewin.

FALL 2010

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION With this edition we launch a newsletter that will illustrate some of the extensive programming that is sustaining our Seeds in their life-long mission as leaders serving the cause of peace and mutual understanding. As you will see in this and future issues, Seeds of Peace is an active force in zones of conflict through the wide-ranging personal and professional pursuits of individual Seeds. — Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Sharing traditions and perspectives on Jerusalem JERUSALEM | There was an air of excitement on September 4th when 86 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds from the 2010 Camp season reunited in Jerusalem for continued dialogue and a dinner to mark Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah. The gathering was remarkable in a conflict zone where research shows that less than one percent of Palestinian and Israeli youth have had an opportunity to engage in an organized dialogue or encounter with someone from the other side since the start of the Second Intifada in 2000.

Seeds graduates gave presentations and led discussion on the significance of Jerusalem for Jews, Muslims and Christians.

The youngsters were then encouraged to share their family traditions surrounding Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah and seek information from each other about specific religious practices. The event culminated with a holiday meal when the East Jerusalem canon fired to mark the end of the Ramadan fast.

The evening was made possible through the generosity of an American Seed’s family.

Aiding victims of the Pakistan floods LAHORE | In response to the recent devastation in Pakistan, Seeds have mobilized to aid in the flood relief efforts.

In an appeal to their peers, Pakistani Seeds wrote: “With many lives already lost and millions more at risk, we urge you all to help us fuel a coordinated effort to do the best we can to support those in need.”

In answer, over 60 Seeds from around the world have launched initiatives in their communities: • Seeds in India working with schools to collect and send materials and supplies to Pakistan.

• School-wide campaigns in Jordan, the US, and other countries to reach out to students and ask for their support; • Educational events that raise awareness about the situation in Pakistan and raise money to help those affected;

• A “Two-gether for Pakistan” campaign jointly run by campus Hillels and Muslim Student Associations asking students to donate $2 to the campaign; • Barbecues, bake sales, henna tattoos, raffle tickets, and play performances all benefiting flood relief; • Outreach to other Seeds, family members, schoolmates, and community groups to let them know about the campaign and ask for their support.

“It really is great to see all the Seeds over the globe participate in this and take the initiative,” said a Pakistani Seed.

“People at home are really impressed by the fact that Seeds are raising money even in India. It makes me so happy to see our SOP mission come to life through this.”

To donate or learn more, please visit www.seedsofpeace.org/flood

Planting trees; tackling heroin trade KABUL | In partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Education, Seeds designed and implemented a project intended to encourage farmers to halt poppy cultivation and at the same time beautify Kabul schools. The Seeds purchased 150 trees from nurseries in the Nangarhar/Jalalabad region that participate in the Alternative Livelihoods Project—a USAID-funded program to combat opium production by providing meaningful economic options to poppy farmers. Our Seeds then recruited friends and family to help them plant the trees at partner schools throughout Kabul.

Upon completion of this project, the Ministry of Education held a ceremony in honor of Seeds of Peace which was cov-

ered by Afghan television and radio.

This project—along with all of our South Asia regional programming, is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of State.

Leading Middle East programs JERUSALEM | When Eldad Levy was appointed Director of Israeli Programs this fall, he joined Palestinian Programs Director Sawsan Samara whom he first met when they were campers in 1998. Now the leadership of year-round programming in the Middle East is led by Seeds, who are building on their experience of the past 12 years.

Sawsan and Eldad are working together to design and implement high impact regional programs to provide Seeds of all ages with the leadership skills, experiences and opportunities to enable them to become agents of change in their societies and advance lasting peace.

In commenting on the critical need for year-round programs, Sawsan and Eldad said, “As former campers, we know how important these leadership development and conflict resolution programs were for us. There were many times throughout the years when we felt pressured to give up on peace. But the programs and the Seeds of Peace family kept us on track.”

Eldad and Sawsan are working closely with Executive Director Leslie Lewin to define programs that implement the vision of being a Seed as a life-long identity, not just a summer experience.

Learn more about our graduates at www.seedsofpeace.org/graduates

Learning the art of effective communication JERUSALEM | More than 50 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds participated in a sixweek summer leadership institute focused on the Art of Communication.

The program, led by counselors who had spent past summers at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine, began with a series of local training sessions designed to encourage self expression and active listening.

The sessions included activities to encourage greater understanding of stereotypes and core conflict issues, illustrate the power of words and learn how best to frame an issue for targeted audiences.

Following the trainings, Seeds spent several weeks creating media projects that addressed topics that were of greatest interest to them.

Projects ranged from original documentary films to short videos edited from

existing content to spoken word poetry, photography exhibits and more.

The program culminated in a three-day

cross-border seminar where the Seeds presented their projects and entered into an in-depth discussion about their work.

Reflecting on the International Camp

By Michael Avi-Yonah, 2010 American Seed CRANBROOK, MI | It took me 15 years to meet the enemy, only to find that the enemy was me.

Because of my heritage, I was the enemy, both in other people’s perceptions and my own unacknowledged prejudices against them. First I reacted with confusion, then anger, and finally empathy and the beginning of understanding.

I am an American, but after my dialogue group discovered that my parents are Israeli and that I speak Hebrew, a number of Arabs and Muslim South Asians were less willing to speak with me.

In one fateful dialogue session, a Palestinian girl rhetorically asked the Israelis in the room what Palestinians should have to give up for peace. I blurted out that Israelis should be able to travel throughout the country without the fear of terrorist attacks. My response only made the Palestinians less willing to talk to me. … But we behaved completely differently outside of dialogue, when we played sports, ate, and bunked together. By the

end of camp I became very good friends with some of the people I had the nastiest fights with, including a boy who said in a dialogue session he could not be friends with any Israelis.

It was not just teenagers from conflict regions who changed—I did too. While still disagreeing with some of his views, I understand the Gazan who declared he would not be friends with Israelis after getting bombed by Israeli planes and tanks, suffering food and water shortages, and seeing his friends die in front of his own eyes during the 2009 Gaza War. During the last few days of camp I felt sad thinking about the lives of some of my new friends and the daily challenges they will face upon their return home. … I am more convinced than ever that no matter how great the differences that divide us— religious, ethnic, racial, national—what we have in common is even greater. When we lose that perspective, we lose ourselves, and we are left with only the enemy inside, while creating enemies outside.

Michael is one of 4,337 Seeds who have graduated from the Camp since 1993.

Comforting young heart patients & their families TEL AVIV | Pairs of Palestinian and Israeli Seeds are making weekly visits to a Tel Aviv hospital where young patients from the Middle East and Africa receive emergency heart surgery.

The visits, which will take place throughout 2010, are coordinated with the Save A Child’s Heart non-profit and are funded by the European Union.

During their day-long visits, the Seeds work with the patients, their families, and

hospital staff to provide translation work and fun activities.

“The importance of what Seeds of Peace does here is enormous!” said one Seed.

“Seeing these kids smiling and laughing is priceless. I’m so happy to have the chance to help them feel better, and give their families a few minutes to themselves.”

Another Seed added, “The most important thing was meeting people from the Gaza Strip and listening to their stories.”

Exploring conflict through the eyes of their peers Seeds participate in pilot program in Israel, West Bank JERUSALEM | A group of American Seeds visited Israel and the West Bank this summer as part of a unique program planned by the Seeds of Peace Graduate Association.

Each of the 12 days of the trip was planned and executed by Graduate Seeds consultants and included visits to Seeds’ families, historical sites, local NGOs and areas affected by the conflict. During the course of the trip the Americans met with over 50 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds, ranging from those who were part of the first group of campers in 1993 to those that began their lives as Seeds in 2003.

This provided the group with an incredibly diverse set of perspectives and allowed them to see the region through the eyes of Israelis and Palestinians rather than those of a tourist.

The Americans Seeds credited the participation of so many Graduates as key to the success of the trip.

“We were able to see the different ways the Seeds of Peace experience affected each of the Graduates we met as well as catch a glimpse into our own future as Seeds,” said one participant.

“This is the most challenging thing I have done with Seeds of Peace,” said another.

“I have been to Camp twice and my views on the conflict never really changed. This trip has given me a whole new set of questions I never knew to ask before.”

Learn more about programming at www.seedsofpeace.org/us

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