Spring 2014 Seeds of Peace in Action Newsletter

FALL 2014

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION Many have asked us how—and why—Seeds of Peace ran its flagship Camp program this summer amid the unspeakable devastation in the Middle East. Even in such terrible times, we are reminded of the importance of our work and our vision for a world in which everyone can live with the same safety, equality, and sense of hopefulness we experience together in Maine. I am in awe of the courage that each and every one of our campers showed by choosing to come together and to bring their voices to the table. And I applaud them for engaging so deeply during their time at Camp. It was an honor to be part of their process, and to see their difficult work first hand.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director, Seeds of Peace

Graduating over 300 courageous leaders from Camp OTISFIELD, MAINE | This summer, 129 Seeds from Maine and Syracuse, and 182 Seeds from the Middle East, South Asia, and the U.S., became members of the Seeds of Peace family.

For the campers from the Middle East, the daily 110-minute dialogue sessions focused heavily on the Gaza war. They listened to stories that challenged them to the core. They raised their voices to audiences that would otherwise not hear them. They forged deep, meaningful, and unlikely connections.

And they found a space to actively counter

dehumanization, separation, fear, and hatred.

These new Seeds will carry with them the knowledge, values, inspiration, relationships, and skills from their Seeds of Peace experiences—as leaders with courage and strength, with deeper imagination, understanding, empathy, and skill.

As Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said about Seeds in a recent policy speech, “To those who say peace between Israelis and Palestinians is impossible, I say, let them, visit America. I say, let them visit Maine.”

“It works. It’s real. It’s the future.”

SEEDS voices RESPONDING TO WAR SEEDS OF PEACE IN THE NEWS AHMED (GAZA) In a letter to fellow ADI (JERUSALEM) In a post to her Face-

Seeds: My dear Seeds family, I am writing to you today because there is seriously no place I’d rather be more than Camp right now.

I find myself helpless, sinking in the sorrow of my people. I have been thinking of you intensely, as I find hope whenever I do. Your messages ignite hope inside me that has been there since the summer of 2012.

The situation takes me back two summers ago. I remember every single detail of the safe zone that took me away from the reality and at the same time made me much more aware of it.

I remember how peace was the only thing we were thinking about. I remember how love filled the place. I must say, I need nothing more than that.

The recent weeks were mind wrecking, but also illuminating. I have come to the realization of how much a human life means, and how easily it can be taken away.

I hope the situation gets better as soon as possible to stop the brutal killing and the unbearable bloodshed. I am now three wars old with more to come, but I swear to you all I will never forget what each and every one of you said in your life-giving messages.

This is one of the times that I thank God for being a part of the Seeds of Peace family.

I sincerely hope to see you all this summer, even if I know for sure that I won’t.

I won’t lose hope.

ALY (CAIRO) In a post to his Facebook followers: People always ask me how I can simultaneously be both proIsrael and pro-Palestine.

The truth is, one can have a principled stance on this conflict, and that principle is nonviolence. Gandhi liberated the entire Indian sub-continent from British rule through non-violent means. If it’s good enough for India—a country of over a billion people with 21 languages, eight religions, and hundreds of regional and ethnic groups—then it’s certainly good enough for Israel and Palestine.

We need to start living by his timeless words: “I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill.”

book followers: Last night a rocket was shot at my grandmother’s bed.

The pictures are nothing compared to pictures from Gaza.

Still, a rocket was shot at my grandmother’s bed.

Dialogue in Seeds of Peace has taught me well: We are oppressors.

Still, a Palestinian rocket was shot at my grandmother’s bed.

I went to protest last night against the war with Jewish and Palestinian friends.

We had so much hope.

Still, a rocket was shot at my grandmother’s bed.

My grandmother is used to it. She’s been living on the border with Gaza for 65 years.

She’s been going to the shelter every once in a while for the past 10 years. She left her home two weeks ago when escalation started. It wasn’t luck that kept her safe.

Still, I seek no revenge. I seek an end.

I want rockets to stop being shot at our grandmothers and their grandmothers’ beds.

LIOR (TEL AVIV) To 10,000 Israeli peace protesters in Tel Aviv: I want to share something personal. Throughout this war, in which over 2,000 Palestinians were killed—including nearly 500 children—and 70 Israelis, I have known that another way is possible.

Throughout this war, while my heart was with the citizens of the South and my friends who were drafted, my dearest friend has been a Gazan.

Through this war, we spoke several times a day. She told me about her sister, who sheltered for over six hours in a stairwell with her two children, ages 7 and 9, while heavy bombing shook her home.

She shared with me the lack of water and electricity, and the existential fear that you might be killed at any given moment.

This friendship between us in these difficult times is the proof that another way is possible and that there is hope. I don’t expect us all to become friends, but she is not ‘them’ and she should not be shunned.

Hear more voices at www.seedsofpeace.org/voices

For full stories and more news coverage, visit www.seedsofpeace.org/news

Peace Through Friendship, August 22, 2014 “For most contentious and violent conflicts, whether between Israelis and Palestinians or between other groups, the path to peace is likely to be long and hard. But programs like Seeds of Peace can help pave the way.”

Viewpoint from the West Bank: ‘We are all humans’, August 26, 2014 “I believe that at the end of the day we are all humans. We deserve dignity, rights and equal lives, so I don’t care if you’re Israeli or Jewish, I care about what you think, and I care about your humanity.” (Palestinian Seed)

Associated Press

Peace Camp in US Unites Israeli, Palestinian Teens, July 29, 2014 “Even years later, campers ... say they feel the impact of their experience gently nudging them to consider their words, to have compassion and always, always to aim for peace.”

Camp Plants Seeds of Peace in Israeli and Palestinian Teens, August 5, 2014 “What makes this place so special is structured dialogues: private conversations among the Palestinian and Israeli campers where they are free to express their pain, their anger—even their hatred—and try to start working through it.”

Israeli and Palestinian Teens Confront Each Other Peacefully at a Camp in Maine, August 7, 2014 “As Israeli and Palestinian leaders begin to engage in peace talks—albeit indirectly, during a 72-hour cease-fire—they would do well to follow the example set by some of their nations’ teenagers who have already started the difficult conversation.”

Convening 60 Educators from conflict regions DEAD SEA, JORDAN | In July of 2014, 60 Seeds of Peace Educators from around the world met at the Dead Sea in Jordan for Making History, a workshop dedicated to engaging with the past in ways that integrate the arts and active learning, critical thinking, and cross-cultural understanding to affect a more just, peaceful future.

The group included history, civics, drama, music, and dance teachers, as well as curriculum designers and leaders of initiatives that focus on engagement with multiple narratives through the arts.

They were joined by a faculty member from our partner organization, Facing History and Ourselves, and by Seeds of Peace staff.

The workshop was made possible by longtime donors Jim and Nora Orphanides and The Germanacos Foundation.

Support from the Orphanides allowed Seeds of Peace to bring 10 distinguished Orphanides Fellows from Pakistan, India, Cyprus, and the United States together with counterparts from Israel and Palestine.

As Fellows, they are committed to using the connections that they made at the workshop, along with the newly-acquired skills, to move forward with their own projects and to build a cross-border community of educators with the unique potential to make a positive difference.

“My hope for peace is built on the idea that a new generation will understand things differently,” said Nora Orphanides.

“I believe that if young people have teachers and role models who expose them to a more complete story of their respective histories, and to the common humanity of their peers across the border, they can break the chain of hatred and distrust.”

Anne Germanacos has been a long-time advocate of the use of arts and creativity in peacebuilding. Through her family foundation, Seeds of Peace is able to provide

“seed” grants to empower educators to pursue projects that further the mission of Seeds of Peace. Notable grants from the past year include: • “Identity, Empowerment and Community Building Through the Arts and Social Games,”

by Karen AbuZant, a Palestinian Seeds of Peace Educator.

• “We Make the Road By Walking,” a song album that grew out of the 2012 Seeds of Peace Educators’ course, Expressive Arts; Educational Transformations. This is a cooperative project of graduates of this course.

• “Adinu,” an audio recording with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, founded by American Seed and Seeds of Peace Educator, Micah Hendler.

Ms. Germanacos sees the arts as particularly suited to the task of empowering young peacebuilders.

“The arts are a unique way of allowing young people both to express and to know themselves,” she said.

“In gaining profound knowledge through the arts, they will understand the precise tenor and location of our common humanity.

Without it, there can be no hope for peace.

Coming upon it through creative expression, the realm of possibility remains open.”

The Making History workshop’s focus on the arts and how to learn and teach about the past built on the themes of the last two years, providing the opportunity for a cohort of veteran participants to share their wisdom, to reflect on their experiences, and to move forward with new projects.

At the same time, the workshop was a precious opportunity to broaden the circle of Seed of Peace Educators and to make new connections. The result was a rich conversation during the week’s formal programming.

The workshop in Jordan took place during a time of escalating violence in the region. ,

Even as the situation grew worse, participants continued to meet and work together in the weeks after the workshop. In cooperation with Facing History and Ourselves, Seeds of Peace offered a set of workshops, Creating Social Change and Teaching Values; Making Meaningful Choices, in Jerusalem, Beit Umar, and Tulkarem. The educators also conducted a series of follow-up meetings, evaluations, and action planning sessions.

The success of the Making History workshop and the activities it is generating stand out against a background of increasing tension, hatred, and violence.

COMING UP OCTOBER 19-26 The Seeds of Peace Board of Directors and supporters will visit Israel, Palestine, and Jordan to deepen their understanding of conflict dynamics, meet with Seeds, and engage with members of the business, NGO, and policy communities on the ground. [at capacity].

NOVEMBER 20 The Seeds of Peace Young Leadership Committee will host over 1,200 young professionals at the 9th Annual Peace Market benefit at Terminal 5 in New York City for an evening of food, drink, and live entertainment. www.seedsofpeace.org/peacemarket FEBRUARY 26-MARCH 1 2015 Seeds of Peace launches GATHER+962, its inaugural ideas and action summit aimed at amplifying the impact of a growing network of changemakers in the Middle East and South Asia.

GATHER+962 will take place at the Mövenpick Resort at the Dead Sea, Jordan. www.seedsofpeace.org/Jordan2015

Crossing bridges to peace with Seeds and supporters worldwide NEW YORK | Starting in late September and continuing throughout the fall, Seeds of Peace will celebrate the International Day of Peace and host its fourth annual Bridges to Peace campaign.

The event gathers Seeds and supporters from around the world to cross a bridge in their community and raise money and awareness for Seeds of Peace.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone around the world who walked across literal and metaphorical bridges in support of Seeds

of Peace this year,” said Executive Director Leslie Lewin.

The 2013 event was an overwhelming success. More than 1,400 people from 45 different cities participated, raising nearly $150,000. Elected officials, musicians, artists, and news outlets such as CNN supported and showcased the event.

The organization has even bigger plans in 2014, with ambitious walks and gatherings planned in London, Mumbai, New York, and elsewhere.

Former Seeds of Peace Camp Counselor Matthew Courey first started the Bridges to Peace initiative in London in 2011.

Courey, a Lebanese-American, joined the Seeds of Peace Young Leadership Committee in 2003 and now serves as a member of the Board of Directors and as Chair of Seeds of Peace UK. Supporters across the world can sign up online to join the campaign, start their own walk, open a fundraising page, or donate at www.crowdrise.com/B2PGlobal2014

Recognizing supporters for THEIR generous legacy gifts The generosity of thousands of supporters have helped make Seeds of Peace one of the premiere people-to-people peacebuilding organizations, recognized internationally for its innovative leadership programs.

Contributing to Seeds of Peace during one’s lifetime has an immediate impact on the success and effectiveness of the organization. A

gift provided in an estate plan acknowledges a very special commitment that helps assure that the mission will endure. A planned gift to Seeds of Peace reaffirms the belief that peace is possible, and with ongoing stewardship, sustainable.

We are deeply appreciative of friends who have recently made their planned giving

known to us. Through their generosity, the values they hold dear will be supported long after they are gone.

We are grateful to legacy donors Mike and Joan Spero, Bobbie and Tom Gottschalk, and Gene and Carolyn Mercy, and are honored that they let us share some of their motives for including Seeds of Peace in their estate plans.

BOBBIE & TOM GOTTSCHALK

Mike & JOAN Spero GENE & CAROLYN Mercy Eugene “Gene” Mercy, Jr. became involved with Seeds of Peace when a friend, Fred Gould, told him that he’d met a man with a powerful idea that he thought Gene should meet. Over lunch, Seeds of Peace founder John Wallach eloquently shared his plan to help establish a lasting peace in the Middle East by working with young people.

Gene understood and believed in the vision and was an early and generous supporter, eventually becoming a member of the Board of Directors. He is now an emeritus member of the Board.

Gene and his wife Carolyn have included Seeds of Peace in their estate plans because they believe in the long-term work involved in building a pool of peacemakers in the region. Gene says that there is a great need for constructive and forward-looking initiatives, and he is taking the leap of faith that the work we are doing will have an effect.

“We can’t give up,” he said. “I want to make sure that the effort keeps going long after I’m gone, when I can’t contribute my annual support any more.”

That view was reaffirmed recently when Gene and Carolyn visited Israel and Palestine this past spring. Spending an afternoon with Seeds of Peace Palestinian Programs Director Mohammed NasserEddin and visiting Ramallah with Seeds, Gene was encouraged by what he saw, including the dynamism of local staff and volunteers.

C. Michael “Mike” Spero was introduced to Seeds of Peace about fifteen years ago through several serendipitous occasions which included listening to President Clinton ask a group of prominent foundations to support projects such as Seeds of Peace.

Soon after, founder John Wallach asked him to join the Board of Directors and serve as Seeds of Peace’s General Counsel. When John passed away, Mike stepped into the organization in a more involved way. Mike still serves on the Board, where he plays an active role in the governance of Seeds of Peace.

Mike and his wife, Joan, have always believed in leaving the world a better place.

Each has served on many nonprofit boards, and contributed generously over the years to those organizations nearest to their hearts.

They have decided to include Seeds of Peace in their estate plans because they “love the mission, and care deeply about the need for a lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Mike agrees with John Wallach’s original assertion that governments alone can’t do this work, and that youth are essential to a solution.

As a retired tax attorney, Mike advises everyone to create an estate plan. He says, “No matter your age or wealth, an estate plan will assure that your assets will go to the people and organizations about which you care.” Too often people neglect to even create a simple will and their assets are held up in probate court or are directed in a way that would not have otherwise been chosen.

Consider A Planned gift There is no minimum amount for a planned gift. It can be as simple as including a set sum in your will or trust, can include gifts of real estate or other valuables, or can be designated through retirement funds or life insurance.

If you would like information on estate planning structures or would like to learn what others have done, members of our staff and board are available to work with you and

your financial advisors. Inquiries can be sent to Jason@seedsofpeace.org.

Planned gifts are a testament to the values you cherish. Thank you to all of you who are considering this incredibly special means of giving. Please let us know of your intentions; all gifts, great and small, are truly appreciated.

Bobbie Gottschalk is one of the founders of Seeds of Peace. From the start, she valued John Wallach’s idea of creating a summer camp for youth from conflict regions as a means of peacebuilding.

As a college sophomore, during the height of the Cold War, she was chosen to attend a program that brought together students from the Soviet Union and the U.S. outside Kiev for a two-week camp experience.

“From this experience, I learned a lot about so-called enemies,” she says. “I found out that enemies could become friends pretty rapidly by living together.”

Bobbie, Seeds of Peace’s first executive director, saw the organization through many ups and downs—from its euphoric start to the pitfalls of politics and war, including the Second Intifada. She helped set up the in-country programs, crucial to the success of maintaining relationships, building skills, and harnessing the network of alumni.

Bobbie has spent every summer at the Seeds of Peace International Camp, working and volunteering thousands of hours. She currently serves on the Seeds of Peace Board of Directors.

Her commitment and generosity have become a life calling.

Bobbie and her husband, Tom, have included Seeds of Peace in their estate plans because they believe that there will always be a need for peacebuilding.

“Our commitment shouldn’t die just because we do,” she says.

“We have to take care of peace, it doesn’t happen by accident. The young people—they are so resilient and they need Seeds of Peace to stay strong, to know that we feel compassion and are afraid for them, but that we never give up hope.”

What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived.

It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.

—Nelson Mandela

Honoring journalist Fareed Zakaria, celebrating the impact of Seeds NEW YORK | Seeds of Peace celebrated 21 years of empowering young leaders from conflict regions on May 8 in New York City.

The Spring Benefit Dinner honored journalist Fareed Zakaria, who received the John P. Wallach Peacemaker Award. Al Jazeera America anchor Ali Velshi hosted the event.

Secretary of State John Kerry opened the evening with a video message expressing his gratitude for the work of Seeds of Peace.

“Thanks to the work that you do, there are young people … who today express greater understanding, greater respect, greater trust, and greater empathy for one another. And not surprisingly, they also have a stronger commitment toward peace.”

Over 400 distinguished supporters heard directly from older Seeds about the impact they are making on their communities.

Lior, a 1996 Israeli Seed who helps run the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum, spoke about the impact of her Seeds of Peace experiences.

“Seeds of Peace was more than a fleeting experience for me—it was a turning point, an eye opener,” she said.

“It was the first brick upon which I have built my life journey, from a relatively uninvolved, sheltered—perhaps even naive—young girl, who went to Camp in Maine in 1996, to the peace activist I am today.”

Sherife, a 2003 Egyptian Seed, spoke about the necessity of building peace and described his path from Seeds to running one of the largest renewable energy advising companies in the Middle East.

Zakaria, who hosts CNN’s flagship foreign affairs show, spoke about people-led movements shaping the world.

“What is happening is happening because of the diffusion of knowledge, the march of technology and modernization, and a new generation that is being influenced by all of these things,” he said. “And what is Seeds of Peace if not at the center of that entire process, trying to get this new generation to be empowered, to talk to one another, and to recognize that there is an enormous amount of commonality?”

Watch highlights from the Dinner at http://bit.ly/zakaria14

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Convening Seeds of Peace supporters in communities around the globe NEW YORK | Over the past six months, Seeds of Peace and its supporters have organized events around the world to raise funds, engage new communities, and strengthen the organization’s capacity to empower young leaders eager to make a difference in their communities.

In January, Miami supporters gathered for an evening of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Hosted by Jane and Bob Toll, the event featured remarks by both Israeli and Palestinians Seeds discussing the organization’s personal and global significance. The evening raised nearly $50,000 and helped galvanize organizational supporters in Miami.

In New York City, Seeds of Peace continues to open new doors. On March 7, board member Vivek Bantwal hosted a luncheon at Goldman Sachs. Before a room of partners and senior management, Executive Director Leslie Lewin and Director of South Asia Programs Awista Ayub discussed the organization’s regional programming. An Israeli

Seed and Goldman Sachs vice president, Koby Sadan, then shared his story about the organization’s role in changing his life.

The event was a major success, as Seeds of Peace raised over $50,000 and established new connections.

One month later, the Seeds of Peace Young Leadership Committee organized an outreach symposium, Transform, with a focus on Seeds of Peace’s impact. Hosted at the School of Visual Arts in New York and attended by nearly 400 people, Transform showcased the work of Seeds around the world through a series of interactive talks and media. Ami Dar, the founder and executive director of Idealist. org, delivered a though-provoking keynote address.

On May 8, the Seeds of Peace community came together for the Annual Spring Benefit Dinner in New York City, which raised over $1 million. Two weeks later, the Seeds of Peace UK community came together “across the pond” on May 27 for a dinner in London,

graciously hosted by Board Member Beth Blood and her husband David Blood.

His Excellency Kemal Mazen Homoud, the Ambassador of Jordan to the UK, offered warm remarks about Seeds of Peace and reflected on his friendship with the organization’s founder, John Wallach.

As 2014 moves forward, Seeds of Peace is humbled by the support demonstrated over the past months! Thank you!

SPRING 2014

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION Our Seeds and Educators are tackling some of the world’s most complex conflict-related challenges, and I am thrilled to share with you their most recent initiatives. The work they are doing on the ground has never been more relevant, substantive, or important, and they give us all reason to be hopeful. Thank you for supporting their efforts.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director, Seeds of Peace

Using music to engage Israelis, Palestinians in dialogue JERUSALEM | Can music play a role in resolving conflict? Two groups which are working at the intersection of music and dialogue, and are run by Seeds and Seeds of Peace counselors, believe it can.

Micah, a 2004 American Seed, founded the Jerusalem Youth Choir to bring together young Israelis and Palestinians through song and dialogue.

“I’ve spent many years pursuing the connection between music and conflict resolution,” he said.

“The more I immersed myself in the world of conflict as experienced at Seeds of Peace, the more I discovered that music could, and

indeed did, play a critical role in creating and solidifying community and common identity.”

After graduating from Yale University, where he studied music and international relations, Micah moved to Jerusalem to start the Choir in 2010.

Another organization, Heartbeat, founded in 2007 by Seeds of Peace counselor Aaron Shneyer, also creates opportunities for Israeli and Palestinian musicians to meet, engage in dialogue, create music, and perform for audiences around the world.

Aaron founded Heartbeat with a Fulbright Fellowship in conjunction with MTV after

graduating from Georgetown University.

With the help of Seeds like Tamer, a Palestinian citizen of Israel who attended Camp in 1999, the organization’s programs have expanded from Jerusalem to the cities of Jaffa and Haifa, with dozens of musicians meeting weekly for dialogue and music sessions.

Over 100 musicians have been involved with Heartbeat since its inception.

“I play music with Heartbeat because every time we perform I feel that I have delivered a message and that my voice is out there,” said Siwar, a 2009 Seed and Heartbeat member.

“I have found the way to peacefully express my thoughts and feelings.”

Running Boston Marathon to send camper to Maine Sarah Sladen is a 2003-04 Seeds of Peace Camp counselor who works in Washington, D.C.

Becoming better negotiators through Harvard Law training DUBAI | The 100th Seed has been certified through Bridging the Gap: How to Resolve Disputes Through Negotiation.

The intensive three-day training, held in both Jerusalem and Dubai in January, is a partnership between Seeds of Peace and Harvard Law School’s Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP).

The impact of the program on Seeds is immediate: post-program surveys indicate that Seeds emerge as more confident mediators able to manage disagreement and intervene positively to resolve disputes.

“The training allowed us to get a feel for how critical it is for a mediator to maintain im-

partiality, establish ground rules, and maintain effective communication between the parties in dispute,” said Schezreh, one of seven Pakistani Seeds to graduate from the program.

This is the third year that Harvard Law School students have created a custom training curriculum for Seeds of Peace, then traveled to the Middle East with HNMCP Director Robert Bordone to implement it.

For the first time this year, the training was expanded to include Seeds from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, who met in Dubai.

Later in January, the Harvard team spent three days in Jerusalem training 36 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds.

Premiering ‘The Square’documentary NEW YORK | Seeds of Peace and the Committee to Protect Journalists co-hosted the premiere of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Square in New York City on January 17.

A 1996 Egyptian Seed, Mona, moderated a panel discussion with the film’s Director, Jehane Noujaim, and producer, Karim Amer, following the screening.

The Square examines the Egyptian Revolution through the personal exchanges and powerful motivations of the revolution’s participants.

Following the sold-out screening, Mona, who reports for The New York Times and is herself a documentary filmmaker, interviewed Noujaim and Amer about The Square’s depic®

tion of the four main characters.

The Square was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Documentary category and won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing for Documentaries. The film is now available on Netflix.

Read about Seeds of Peace’s programs in Egypt at www.seedsofpeace.org/me ®

Q: Why are you running the Boston Marathon?

In light of the violence at last year’s marathon, supporting an organization that is dedicated to peace-building is how I choose to respond.

I qualified in 2012. Boston is the world’s oldest annual marathon that brings together elite runners (and non-elite regular folks like me) from around the world.

Running the marathon in April is a chance to experience a bit of history and take part in a celebration of something I love in a great city.

Q: How much do you hope to raise?

This is my second marathon and my first major fundraising effort. As a Seeds of Peace counselor, running this marathon is a great opportunity to support an organization I love, and contributing to Seeds of Peace’s mission felt like the best way for me to respond to last year’s events in Boston.

My baseline goal is to raise $2,000, with an overall goal of $6,000, enough to fully sponsor a Seed at Camp this summer.

Q: What’s your personal best?

3:23 (Marine Corps Marathon).

Q: Will you be wearing a Seeds of Peace shirt when you run?

I have about 25 green shirts in my closet, so ...

Q: How are you fund-raising?

Friends, family and former counselors have been incredibly generous. I’ve also received donations from fans of Seeds of Peace whom I’ve never met.

One of the best messages came from a counselor [at a neighboring camp] who had visited Seeds of Peace.

He wrote, “We had sports days with Seeds and attended Muslim services. I loved getting the chance to see the Camp spirit in action.”

This emphasizes for me what a lasting impact Seeds of Peace has on those who’ve been there, and why I’d like to help send another Seed to Maine next summer.

No donation is too small, and every donation is added motivation in these dark, snowy, Polar Vortex-ridden days of winter training.

Contribute to Sarah’s fundraiser here www.bit.ly/SeedsRun

SEEDS OF PEACE IN THE NEWS Abbas, Talking to Israeli Students About Peace, Finds a Receptive Audience February 16, 2014 “... several Israeli students praised [Palestinian President] Abbas for his courage, noting the pressure he faced from Palestinians who oppose any kind of normal ties with Israelis.

And in a more personal aside, Mr. Abbas told his guests that his grandchildren had attended the Seeds of Peace summer camp in the United States with young Israelis.”

Israeli-Palestinian youth choir makes peace through song February 17, 2014 “While attending a U.S.-based interfaith

camp as a teen, Micah Hendler had an idea. What would happen if he launched an Israeli-Palestinian choir that encouraged Jerusalem-area Israeli and Palestinian high school students to make music and engage in dialogue? Two years ago, the 24-yearold Maryland-born Yale graduate moved to Jerusalem to do just that.”

Students gather to solve problems in Maine’s school system March 9, 2014 “... the Seeds of Peace students will present the governor, leaders of the Legislature and Maine’s congressional delegation with a document outlining what they perceive to be the biggest issues facing the state’s education system and proposed solutions.”

COMING UP APRIL 10 The Young Leadership Committee presents Transformations, an event examining the ways Seeds of Peace empowers teens to transform their understandings, communities, and conflicts. SVA Theater, New York, 7 p.m.

MAY 8 The 2014 annual Spring Benefit Dinner in New York City will honor Fareed Zakaria, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. 583 Park Ave. Dinner tickets now available at www.seedsofpeace.org/dinner JULY 7 The 22nd summer of the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine kicks off, bringing together delegates from the Middle East, South Asia, the US, and UK. OCT 23-26 Seeds of Peace is launching an international summit for Seeds and other emerging changemakers positioned to amplify ideas and actions that transform conflict. www.seedsofpeace.org/Jordan 2014

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Addressing communal tensions in Pakistan through interfaith dialogue LAHORE | Seeds in Pakistan organized three days of interfaith dialogue for over 50 Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh students from across the country.

The program equipped the students with a deeper understanding of the different religions in Pakistan, and an appreciation for the diversity of beliefs and customs within their communities.

Students left the seminar with concrete plans for sharing their experiences with others, including starting school and campus groups focused on interreligious discussion, and launching pen pal projects promoting interaction between religious groups.

“What I have learned at this camp, I will promote in my neighborhood, with family and friends, so that the message goes on,” said Jessica, a Christian participant.

“I wanted to bring a change in the world,

and now I am sure I can.”

Participants engaged in dialogue about their varying beliefs, religious violence, discrimination, and national identity.

Several students noted their surprise at learning that other religions often emphasized similar beliefs and values.

In a country marked with tension between different religious groups, they expressed a desire to live with more religious tolerance.

The spirit of the seminar was captured in the words of Sukhvinder, a Sikh participant, on the last day.

“I will spread the message of peace to my friends,” he said.

“I will not say bad things about other religions and will not believe something that I have not seen myself. I will work for humanity, and will learn more about the religions of others.”

WINTER 2013

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION I am feeling very thankful this fall—for our Seeds and the change they are leading in their communities; for you, our supporters, without whom our work would not be possible; and for the 1,200+ walkers in 52 cities who joined us to raise awareness and cross bridges to peace. The stories of commitment, initiative, and courage inspire every part of our organization, and for that I offer my deepest thanks.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Tackling critical issues across borders in South Asia MUMBAI | In early November, Afghan, Pakistani, and Indian Seeds met in Mumbai for a week of dialogue, workshops, and skillbuilding. Due to restrictive visa policies, such cross border meetings are exceedingly rare in South Asia—this is the first such Seeds of Peace event to take place since 2011.

The 25 Seeds discussed U.S. drone strikes, terrorism, Kashmir, and economic issues.

Guest speakers included journalists, diplomats, and professors, who helped the participants better understand these critical issues.

“Even though we live in the same region, through the conference we came across infor-

mation that was new to us,” said Shahzaib, a Pakistani Seed who was visiting India for the first time.

The program included a series of workshops in which Seeds worked with staff from Ashoka’s Youth Venture to identify ways to address issues in their communities. The Seeds will now submit proposals to address these issues as part of a Seeds of Peace small grants initiative.

Throughout the week, Indian Seeds and their families hosted the Afghans and Pakistanis, a meaningful opportunity to humanize the conflict and those on ‘the other side.’

Drafting a youth charter for Maine

Walking in communities around the world in support of peace NEW YORK | To honor the bridges Seeds of Peace builds between groups in conflict, over 1,200 Seeds, family members, and friends crossed bridges around the world in September.

The walkers took to the streets in 52 cities from Amman and Madrid to Kampala and Maine. In London, where Bridges to Peace started two years ago, hundreds crossed the Thames River and celebrated Seeds of Peace at a post-walk festival.

In Augusta, Maine, Governor LePage kicked off a walk with 100 Seeds. In New York, Seeds and supporters crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, handing out information about the organization to curious passers-by.

Over 120 walkers in Mumbai appeared on the local CNN channel, while in Lahore, national news outlets covered the march, during which 175 supporters carried banners calling for unity and peace.

In addition to taking a stand for peace, attracting significant media attention, and celebrating the work of Seeds, Bridges to Peace walkers raised over $150,000 in support of Seeds of Peace’s mission.

Many took the initiative to introduce Seeds of Peace to their hometowns by organizing smaller walks.

In Madrid, Seed Maysa helped raise $3,000 with her school. Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, Jason, a volunteer who helps prepare the Camp grounds each summer

motivated friends and family to raise over $1,000 for his walk.

“It was hugely rewarding to walk the Brooklyn Bridge with so many others committed to the mission of Seeds of Peace,” said Stephanie, an American Seed. “And it was so inspiring to know that all over the world, fellow Seeds were walking bridges in the name of peace.”

Jack Savoretti releases SONG in support of Seeds of Peace Influenced by the movement of people around the world marching in the streets for a better tomorrow, singer/songwriter Jack Savoretti has released a single in support of Seeds of Peace graduates working for change in conflict regions.

Savoretti debuted “Written in Scars” for Seeds of Peace supporters during the Bridges to Peace Walk in London.

“It’s about taking things into your own hands when the current situation warrants so, regardless of the harm that may come,” says Savoretti. “It’s a brave song for a brave cause.”

Savoretti, whose poetic lyrics have been regularly featured on One Tree Hill and Grey’s Anatomy, is donating profits from sales of the recording to Seeds of Peace.

The song is available to purchase on iTunes: http://bit.ly/writteninscars

AUGUSTA, MAINE | In October, students from across Maine presented a revised youth charter to state officials.

The teenagers, graduates of Seeds of Peace, outlined issues facing Maine youth in their schools and communities, and suggested tools and measures to address them.

“Student leaders who are engaging these issues on a daily basis are bringing them to the attention of policymakers, who have the ability to fix them statewide,” said Director of Maine Seeds Programs Tim Wilson.

The students—first generation Americans, multi-generational Mainers, and new immigrants—presented the charter to the Maine Congressional Delegation and Governor LePage at the Capitol Building.

The new charter addresses issues like cultural diversity, standards-based education systems, and English as a Second Language Programs.

“We have drawn from our personal experiences in drafting this charter,” wrote the Seeds. “In particular, we focus on concerns relating to the growing diversity in the State of Maine.”

Twenty-eight students from 12 public and private schools spent two months drafting the charter, meeting regularly with each other and with experts in relevant fields.

This is the 10th anniversary of the original Maine Youth Charter, which addressed multiple aspects of education policy in the state and was presented to Governor Baldacci in 2003.

Read the new charter at online at http://bit.ly/mecharter

VOICE OF A SEED

Facilitating a gathering of fellow Middle East and North Africa activists

By Alia | 2003 Seed (Morocco)

In October, I organized a weeklong meeting in Jordan of changemakers from across North Africa and the Middle East, including Israel and Palestine.

We hold this Youth Leadership Jam annually in order to connect activists—several of whom are also Seeds—for a week of community building, networking, and learning.

Through reflecting on our work, sharing individual struggles to better understand the larger picture of the region, and building authentic relationships and support systems, we left Wadi Rum better able to develop new pos-

sibilities and synergies for positive change.

My work with these activists is rooted in my experience as a Seed, and I first participated in the program because I yearned for something similar to my Camp session ten years ago. I wanted to engage with big questions, meet people who would both challenge and inspire me, and whose experiences would make my understanding of the world more nuanced and richer.

Today I help organize this unique gathering, hosted by an organization called YES!, with other freelance dialogue facilitators from the region. Similar to a musical jam session,

what is created comes from each individual’s unique experiences and perspectives, rather than a predetermined outcome.

We meet in the belief that meaningful change must include deep transformations on the personal, interpersonal, and systemic levels. In creating spaces for personal discovery and nurturing relationships with other changemakers, we build and strengthen communities working for change.

Participants go home feeling empowered, energized, and supported, and equipped with tools and ideas to implement in their work towards meaningful change.

Leading peacebuilding camps for young Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank JERUSALEM | More than 160 young Palestinians ages 10-12 participated in two different Bara’em El Salaam (“Sprouts of Peace”) camps in the West Bank and Gaza organized by Seeds of Peace.

In Jenin, Seeds and Educators led a four-day overnight camp during which participants engaged in group discussions, workshops, and

community dialogue and explored various themes of peacebuilding, including coexistence, cooperation, and volunteerism.

In Gaza, the campers developed conflict resolution skills during a six-day program. That camp incorporated trauma relief exercises that allowed the participants to openly discuss their fears, hopes, and the daily impact of the conflict on their lives. They also had opportu-

nities to express themselves through writing, art, and music.

Fatma, an Educator who led workshops for the Gaza campers, summed up the significance of the USAID-supported program.

“It took these kids out of their gloomy atmosphere and planted the seed of peace in their hearts.”

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Putting Indian and Pakistani students in each other’s shoes MUMBAI/LAHORE | This fall, over 100 students from 20 schools in Mumbai and Lahore took part in the Seeds of Peace Mock Parliaments. They engaged with issues at the forefront of South Asian politics and learned hands-on about political decision-making processes.

Indian and Pakistani Seeds organized the model parliaments, which gave delegates the opportunity to step into the other side’s shoes and view their conflict from different angles.

Seeds of Peace started the annual Mock Parliament series in 2007 as a simulation of the Pakistani Parliament. It has since grown into a conference hosting two committees, one focused on historical events and the other on contemporary issues facing South Asia.

Delegates representing conflicting views were challenged at every step as they debated, negotiated, and found compromises with their counterparts.

The engaging and interactive nature of the

programs exposed delegates to narratives with which they were less familiar.

Indian participants were able to connect via video conferencing with Pakistani Seeds for a lively discussion on Pakistani foreign policy.

For two days, participants worked in committees mirroring those of the Pakistani Parliament. Committees drafted bills to present the following day to the National Assembly for general discussion and voting.

The delegates concluded the simulation by passing a resolution to address the longstanding Kashmir issue.

Aziz, an Indian Seed who helped to organize the Mock Parliament, spoke of it as an assurance to society that “at least for the next generation, the world is in good hands.”

The simulations were designed and led

by Seeds, and are part of Seeds of Peace’s mission to equip young leaders with essential skills and new understanding with which to transform conflicts.

FALL 2013

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION What a summer! Seeds of Peace is celebrating the graduation of the 5,000th Seed from our intensive leadership program in Maine. We hit the milestone in our 21st summer of bringing together young leaders from countries in conflict. And with two sessions of Camp this summer, we hosted a record number of participants: 334 campers and 49 adult educators. We also ran an incredible set of programs in the Middle East, and South Asia for Seeds, Educators, parents and other community leaders.

Thank you for making all of this happen!

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

VOICES OF SEEDS

Reflecting on the profound impact of Seeds of Peace JASIR (Pakistani Delegation)

Sixteen ... that’s the number of years it took me to come face to face with “the other side.”

I labored under conventional hate for 16 entire years without trying to find out the identity of the “real” enemy.

Whenever I imagined Indians—except for the beautiful Bollywood stars, of course—I easily associated all the monstrous things I’d ever heard to them. And then one morning, I jumped off a bus at the Seeds of Peace Camp and started dancing with the people I considered my enemies.

The epiphany for me at Camp was that Indians were not the real enemy, but rather that artificial boundaries, borders, and man-made divisions are the real deterrents to peace.

JOHNATHAN (American Delegation)

Deepening understanding of conflict JERUSALEM | For many American Seeds, dialogue sessions at Camp in Maine are the first exposure they have to the reality of lives of Israelis and Palestinians living in conflict.

Fourteen of these Seeds were able to further deepen their understanding of the region and its complexities through “Bayti,” a two-week Seeds of Peace educational trip to Israel and Palestine.

The Seeds visited major cities in Israel and in the West Bank, and participated in meetings which exposed them to issues and experiences they would otherwise not have access to as tourists.

Participants spent time in Haifa, Bethlehem, Jaffa, Jericho, Ramallah, and Neve ShalomWahat al-Salaam, a cooperative intentional community of Jewish and Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel located outside Jerusalem.

Highlights of the trip included a multi-perspective tour of the Old City of Jerusalem; sessions with Graduate Seeds involved in women’s rights, immigration policy, businesses, and community youth organizations; a tour of the Knesset and briefings with elected mem-

bers from different political parties; visits to Palestinian refugee camps near Hebron and in Jenin; and a trip to the southern Israeli city of Sderot. The Seeds were also able to experience the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Through conversations with Graduate Seeds active in public life, politicians, activists, and other youth, Bayti participants came to understand the complexities and nuances of conflict both within and between Israeli and Palestinian communities.

“We saw raw, untainted human experience,” said Hayley, a 2011 Seed. “We saw things that can’t be described in dialogue.

The people we spoke to painted a very three dimensional picture of life there; I feel like I now understand the psychological impacts of living in the region.”

Central to Bayti were daily debrief sessions in which the Seeds could process what they saw, heard, and felt as they moved through a challenging and intense region.

This was the third and longest Bayti session, a term which means ‘my home’ in both Arabic and Hebrew.

November 26, 2008. Lashkar-e-Taiba attacks sites in Mumbai. I’m sitting on my couch, watching on TV. I flip the channel. It’s just news. All I identify are facts and figures; nothing connects. I know I should feel something, but I don’t.

Three years later, as I was emerging from a Seeds of Peace South Asia dialogue session that had yielded significant progress, I was greeted with news of another bombing in Mumbai. Suddenly the abstract concepts discussed in dialogue were confronting me.

Surrounded by the faces of those who were most affected by what had happened, I realized that I now had a stake in the conflict, and that that stake was my friends. I needed to act, to do something. I tore through my belongings searching for phone cards to distribute to my fellow Seeds so that they could call home. I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t do more.

I was no longer sitting on my couch, this was not just news. This was something tangible. Now, I no longer have the luxury of sitting back and changing the channel.

In fact, I have a responsibility to take action.

This is what Seeds of Peace can achieve.

Seeds of Peace gave me the tools, the passion, and the drive to make a difference in the world.

Examining how to teach history in ways that mitigate conflict OTISFIELD, MAINE | This summer, educators from around the world gathered in Maine to participate in Making History: Pluralism, Peace and the Past, Seeds of Peace’s third annual Educators Course.

The two-week session explored ways in which history contributes to conflict and the role history education can play in encouraging mutual respect, cross-cultural understanding, pluralism, and a more humane and peaceful future.

“The primary question we are concerned with is how educators can engage with the past in a way that encourages perspectivetaking, humility, and openness,” said Daniel Moses, Director of Seeds of Peace Educator Programs.

The 30 participants from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Italy, India, Jordan, Pakistan, Palestine, and the United States engaged with questions of collective narrative,

examined ways in which history contributes to conflict, and developed the tools necessary to use history to encourage pluralism and crosscultural understanding.

“Participants engaged with one another as educators facing common challenges and as individuals from societies in conflict,” said Moses. “Seeds of Peace is the only place I know of where educators from opposite sides of these conflicts are engaging with this much depth face-to-face. It is a rejection of the status quo, a commitment to actively creating a better, more just, more peaceful future.”

Workshops focused on topics such as how to inspire and empower young people, ways to encourage active listening and critical thinking, using the visual arts and music to teach history, and designing creative and effective lesson plans.

The workshops were led by faculty from a broad range of fields, including Doc Miller,

Senior Associate for Staff Development at Facing History and Ourselves, and Professor Anil Sethi of Azim Premji University in India, who created the new textbooks about Partition that are now being used in public schools across India Site visits around Maine allowed participants to hear contrasting narratives about the history of the state from the Governor of Maine to the Mayor of Portland, members of the Abyssinian Church, and the Native American Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The course participants will have the opportunity to build on the skills they acquired during the summer at a four-day follow-up workshop to be held in Jordan next spring.

Seeds of Peace Educator Programs seek to inspire and equip educators with the professional relationships, understanding, and skills needed to transform schools and communities and create a culture of peace.

Developing leadership, dialogue, and sailing skills at sea Boston | For the third summer, older American, Israeli and Palestinian Seeds engaged in an intensive leadership and dialogue program while working with each other to crew a 137foot schooner out of Boston Harbor and down the East Coast.

“We talked about the conflict, of course,” said Erica, an American Seed.

“But this time we also had a new kind of dialogue: leadership dialogue.”

“We were all on the same page—we all felt like we’re there for the same reason: change,” said Ahmed, a Palestinian Seed from Gaza.

“I learned more during Seas of Peace than I have anywhere else.”

Dialogue sessions during the Seas of Peace program were based on the three principles of the Harvard University leadership model— dignity, adaptive leadership, and immunity to change—and were designed and implemented by two facilitators who had previously taught these concepts at Harvard.

The Roseway, built in 1924, is operated

by World Ocean School and is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The 16 Seeds learned how to navigate and maneuver the red-sailed boat, building off of a week of sailing training held at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in August.

Spending a week at sea also allowed the Seeds to continue to break down barriers and challenge stereotypes.

“Seas of Peace taught me that we can reach an incredible understanding with people we have always thought about as “enemies,”’ said Ahmed.

“When I was a little girl, ‘Palestinian’ was a word I rarely used,” said Erica. “It was a label for the other side, the evil, wrong other side, and as a part of my family I was expected to either say it with contempt or not say it at all. Now it’s not a word I have to be afraid of.”

Seas of Peace is the initiative of two former Seeds of Peace counselors who are avid sailors. Learn more about the program at www.seasofpeace.org

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SEED PROFILE

Addressing a United Nations conference about peace and sustainability NEW YORK | Prashanth, a 2011 US Seed who returned to Camp this summer as a Peer Support, is on a mission to redefine the concepts of peace and sustainability.

His activism began in middle school when he undertook a project to raise awareness about plastic waste.

Today, his understanding of sustainability is much wider and holistic than the strictly environmental approach. He now defines sustainability as a state of environmental stability and good governance where conflict is minimal and society is open and just. And he is using all platforms available to him to speak about this human, social approach to sustainability.

This August, Prashanth spoke at TedxUpperEastSide and in the United Nations General Assembly on a panel with representatives from organizations dedicated to sustainability.

“I credit Seeds of Peace with my openness, my passions, and my questions,” says Prashanth. “My whole approach to sustainability, to the world, and to my goals, changed when I became a Seed.”

Prashanth also started Peace Perspectives, an online publication that aims to “report all perspectives regarding an issue in order to give a comprehensive and complete understanding of the situation to the reader,” thus allowing readers to “make up their own minds about the issue, rather than having it made for them.”

The Peace Perspectives team is primarily made up of Seeds who act as country and regional liaisons and writers.

There are currently over 100 correspondents in eight countries reporting on three conflict zones.

SPRING 2013

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION In his visit to the Middle East, President Obama challenged young people to live in the shoes of the other and reminded them that it would be them—not their leaders—who would lead the way to peace. This message has been the heart and soul of our mission for 20 years.

I hope you take pride in the ways Seeds, including the ones here, are leading in their communities. —Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Conducting dialogue sessions for parents of Seeds JERUSALEM | Seeds of Peace has relaunched a popular program for parents of Seeds, allowing dozens of Israeli and Palestinian parents to take part in facilitated dialogue similar to what their children experience at Camp. The program builds much-needed support for Seeds activities, while engaging a new set of Israeli and Palestinian adults in peacebuilding.

Following a winter 2012 pilot program, Seeds of Peace began facilitating three meetings a month: one for Israeli and Palestinian parents in Jerusalem, another for Arab and Jewish parents in Beit Berl in Israel, and a third for Palestinian parents in Ramallah.

Between 10 and 20 parents are currently attending each meeting.

Seeds of Peace Co-Director of Facilitation Farhat Agbaria is directing the parents’

program and co-facilitating the binational meetings with Dor, a 2009 Israeli Seed.

“For most of the Israelis, it was their first time meeting a Palestinian,” Dor says. “For the Palestinians, it was their first time meeting parents of their kids’ closest friends from the other side.”

“Many of them found themselves sharing the same stories and memories their kids had brought home with them from Camp.”

The initial meetings took place just weeks after the violence in Gaza and southern Israel.

Despite the tension, parents were eager to meet and share their perspectives.

“Parents also voiced their desire to better understand what their place is in the Seeds of Peace community, and how they can be of help in supporting their children and the program,” says Dor.

Tackling gender inequality in India

TALKING PEACE EDUCATION IN JORDAN

53 ARAB AND ISRAELI Seeds of Peace Educators examined ways to use the arts to help youth develop leadership skills, cross-cultural understanding and civic engagement to build more peaceful societies. For more about our Educator Programs, see www.seedsofpeace.org/educators

Honing mediation skills with Harvard project JERUSALEM | For the second year in a row, Seeds of Peace partnered with Harvard Law School’s Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program and USAID to offer 36 Palestinian and Israeli Seeds a three-day training in basic mediation and negotiation called Bridging the Gap: How to Resolve Disputes Through Negotiation.

The training curriculum was designed for Seeds of Peace by two Harvard Law students.

Participants engaged in a range of activities, including several negotiation and mediation role plays, where each Seed was challenged to take on specific roles, including that of ‘the other side.’

They also took part in active listening exercises, highlighting the significance that emotion plays in negotiation.

The Seeds also learned about negotiation in conflict settings through a multiparty negotiation simulation case based on the Northern Ireland conflict.

“Since the program, no conversation has been the same,” says Palestinian Seed Ameen.

“I’m able to reach a middle ground without anyone feeling as though they are on the losing side. The program made me rethink everything I do.”

Seeds also gained advanced leadership training and took on greater responsibility for

guiding and supporting younger alumni.

While at the training, Seeds met in discussion groups to talk about how the new skills and concepts they were learning could be applied directly to their relationships and communication with each other and with others across lines of conflict.

The Seeds who attended the training will put their new skills to use by leading community dialogue and becoming peer mediators in their schools and communities.

The Seeds reconvened on February 15 for a daylong follow-up session to reflect on what they had learned, discuss their experiences applying their skills, and prepare for upcoming community dialogue in their societies.

Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program faculty and students have also been working with Seeds of Peace to research the current relationships between nearly 30 Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilding NGOs. The project’s aims are to understand the extent to which the different peacebuilding groups are talking to each other and working together, and to explore the possibility of stronger individual and collective impact.

Harvard Law School faculty met with representatives from the organizations on March 19 and 20 outside Jerusalem to report on the findings and discuss avenues for cooperation.

MUMBAI | Inspired by her experience on a Seeds of Peace program in Northern Ireland, an Indian Seed is working with classmates and local groups to raise awareness around social issues, including gender equality and female infanticide.

Mili, a 2009 Seed, launched the Enough is Enough project earlier this year. The initiative brings together students and NGOs to paint public buses with messages highlighting a problem in order to change the way society thinks about it.

“Alarming stories about the lack of gender equality in our city led us to choose women’s empowerment as our first theme,” says Mili.

The idea for the project began to grow last summer when Mili and 60 other Seeds met in Ireland. As part of the Game Changers program, Seeds formulated creative ways of solving issues in their own communities.

“As we roamed the city of Derry, I was drawn to a certain mural that I was told is repainted on a regular basis to represent the current political situation at any given time,” says the 17-year-old. “As an art student, my mind began to race with ideas of evolving murals, and it was at this time that the thought of mobile murals first occurred to me.”

Mili worked with peers at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai to launch the female infanticide campaign.

“It’s disturbing to know that, although the statistics are murky, it’s believed that three million girls have been killed in the last decade,” she says.

Mili’s project has gained wide notice through social media.

“I received a message from a group of students in Delhi who wanted to collaborate to take our project forward in their city as well.”

VOICE OF A SEED

Rejecting stereotypes: how teens can make a real difference Darling, a 2012 American Seed from Illinois, makes the case for why the world should pay more attention to young people working for peace and justice.

Launching community projects in refugee camp JERUSALEM | Hashem, a 2010 Palestinian Seed, is organizing volunteers in Arroub Refugee Camp to address environmental issues and instill community pride.

Hashem’s organization, Trash the Occupation, Not Our Land, paints murals, sets up trash bins, plants trees, refurbishes and cleans up public spaces, and works to promote environmental awareness and community pride among the camp’s youth.

Through this work, Hashem and his team of volunteers are creating a new face for the streets of the camp: a face that reflects belonging to the community and genuine care for the land.

“I am deeply tied to culture, community values, rights, and duties,” says the 18-yearold, who grew up in Arroub, near Hebron. “I hope that my project will positively influence not only the physical environment of my camp, but also the long-term habits and consciousness of its inhabitants.”

Recent events organized by the group have included arts and music workshops with young children to foster environmental awareness, school and street clean-ups, and community brainstorming about future projects.

Hashem credits Seeds of Peace for the inspiration and skills that have made his project possible, most particularly the 2011 People Power seminar in Jordan which explored the power of youth to create change.

“At Seeds of Peace, I learned how to start

creating change. I learned about the role of education and the media and how I can better use them to promote my ideas and inspire others to participate in my journey to create change.”

“Seeds of Peace supplied me with support and with a network,” he says, pointing to the importance of the relationships he’s built with others since his first summer at Camp.

“I can’t imagine myself in my position today without the role of Seeds of Peace. It is the experience that ignited the light of change in my heart.”

Hashem’s project was featured on Fox News and has garnered wide attention on social media.

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EGYPTIAN SEED RAMY (Camp 1998) co-chaired the 2013 Peace Market Benefit in New York City on March 13, which raised over $300,000 for Seeds of Peace programs from 1,300 supporters.

Many people question teenagers’ abilities to make a difference in the world. It may seem like our generation cares more about who Justin Bieber is dating than we do about the fact that millions of individuals across the globe are being denied their basic human rights.

What is often overlooked is that there are thousands of teens all around the world who are fighting to make the world a better place.

In school, we are taught about war and justice, but we are rarely taught about what we, as teens, can do to make a difference.

At Seeds of Peace, teens come together to learn about peacebuilding and conflict resolution and spend two hours a day, six days a week in intense and powerful dialogue talking about conflict. They spend weeks living and playing with other teens— many of whom they have grown up viewing as enemies.

These teens come to realize that it is not about who is right or who is wrong, or who is suffering more, but about the fact that no one benefits from the conflict. They stop seeing the “other side” as enemies or nameless faces and start seeing them as their brothers and sisters.

The enduring impact that Seeds of Peace has is almost indescribable. Today, there are more than 5,000 Seeds planted worldwide.

They leave Camp and go out into the world to create meaningful change. These teens will grow up to become writers, lawyers, politicians, and more. The values they learned at Seeds of Peace will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

So when you think of our generation, think about those children who are striving for peace and social justice.

Think about those teens who spend their summers learning about conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

Think about those teens who are fighting to make sure that everyone is being granted basic human rights.

Think about the teens who are planting seeds of peace around the world.

WINTER 2013

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION Violence challenges our Seeds in very real ways. Our graduates must turn to each other as they reconcile the safety and security they shared at Camp with new dangers at home. I am proud of how Seeds—from Kabul to Cairo, Gaza City to Ashkelon—are speaking directly, supporting each other, and sharing their stories about what is happening around them. This is when our work becomes so critical—we’re one of few organizations on the ground committed to building the human infrastructure needed for positive change. Our work locally has intensified as we strive to meet the needs of our alumni with thoughtful, relevant programming. I thank you for supporting Seeds of Peace at this pivotal moment.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Exchanging perspectives on Gaza-Israel violence JERUSALEM | Galvanized by violent images on TV and by the personal accounts of their Palestinian and Israeli peers, Seeds have taken to the organization’s social media channels to share their reactions with one another to the bombing and rocket attacks.

Many Seeds in Gaza or within rocket-range of Gaza received worried calls from peers.

“I was having a phone call with my friend from Seeds in Gaza and heard the sound of explosions,” said one Seed. “My friend started to shout and the call was disconnected, and I thought that something bad happened to him. I didn’t know what to do and I kept trying to call him for the next five hours until he answered.”

Seeds responded to heated exchanges between their younger peers, reminding them that you can’t only be a Seed when it’s convenient.

“You can’t be a part-time Seed,” said one.

“You can’t just be a Seed when everything is good and everyone is happy. As a Seed, you should be an example for others. You should be a leader.”

Several Seeds addressed the pressure they face from friends and family during times of war.

“One of the worst things that can happen to a Seed is when the people closest to you say your brain got washed,” said a Jordanian Seed. “Or when they tell you to delete a post

on Facebook just because you were asking about the other side.”

“Being a Seed in my community—well it’s not easy,” said an Israeli Seed. “People will always look at you like “What? Why are you talking to Palestinian people? Why?’” “Then there are the people that come to you—and there were a couple for me, which made me very happy—that come and ask, “You know people in Gaza; what do they think?”

“And then you can try to explain. Knowing that you can try to explain and try to understand the other side is one of the most amazing things that I’ve taken from Seeds of Peace.”

VOICE OF A SEED

Reflecting on impact of Seed of Peace Keren, a 1999 Israeli Seed and current law student, looks at how her reaction to IsraeliPalestinian violence has been shaped by her Seeds of Peace experiences.

Harvesting olives together in Jerusalem JERUSALEM | On November 2, 18 Seeds and staff met in Jerusalem for the annual harvest. The Israeli and Palestinian Seeds gathered olives at the Augusta Victoria Hospital on the Mount of Olives. The harvest will be pressed into oil and sold to benefit the hospital’s patients.

“I got to experience an important Palestinian tradition with ‘the other side,’ said Melina, a Palestinian Seed.

“Most importantly, we came to understand the value and symbolism of olive trees to each

one of us.”

“The olive harvest was special for me,” said Adaya, an Israeli participant. “There truly was an atmosphere of peace about the event.”

A speaker from a local human rights organization addressed the group about his cross-conflict work.

“He briefed us about the goals this organization tries to achieve for ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” said Melina.

“He left everyone at the harvest with a desire to do better, be better,” said Adaya.

As rockets and missiles tear apart my region physically and emotionally, Seeds of Peace is one of the only organizations that attempts, and succeeds, to mend what is broken.

The way I get updates on what’s going on is by reading Facebook updates from my Seeds friends in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Gaza; thanks to Seeds of Peace, the manner in which we experience the conflict has completely transformed. My eyes and ears are open to the strife on both sides.

The experience is that of challenging dialogue rather than blinding governmental propaganda. The truth comes from real people, who in a safe environment are able to express their anger and fear to their friends—friends who should be enemies if our governments would have had their way.

Those unique summers [at Camp] become a life-changing experience that sticks with us and is intertwined in every important decision we make in life. As I celebrate my 13th year as a member of Seeds of Peace, I continue to be inspired by my friends and colleagues who, despite the worsening circumstances, won’t stop trying to change the world.

Learning professional group dialogue facilitation skills JERUSALEM | With funding from USAID, Seeds of Peace is training Israelis and Palestinians, including Seeds, as professional dialogue facilitators able to contribute directly to peacebuilding. Seeds of Peace is the only organization that brings together Israelis and West Bank Palestinians to offer this type of much-needed training.

This is the fourth year that Seeds of Peace has offered the intensive certification program, which started in November in Jerusalem and runs for a year. Of the 20 participants, just over half are Seeds.

The facilitation course this year will include methods of engaging diverse and hard-to-

reach communities and include an examination of technology’s potential for increasing access to dialogue.

In addition to running this course in basic dialogue facilitation, Seeds of Peace is for the first time offering an advanced certification in facilitation and conflict transformation for 21 participants ages 22 and up.

Both programs require students to supplement the courses’ 108-140 classroom hours by guiding 40 hours of conflict-related conversations in their communities.

Graduates will be considered for the dialogue program at the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine.

Putting yourself in the shoes of a politician

NEW YORK | Twenty American Seeds met over Thanksgiving weekend to examine international perspectives on the US election.

“Our elections have a ripple effect across the entire world,” said American Seed coordinator Sarah Brajtbord. “It’s vital for American Seeds to recognize these connections and understand how our choices at home impact America’s standing and policies abroad.”

Seeds also spent time discussing the Gaza/ Israel flare-up and the role of the US in securing a ceasefire. Mohammed NasserEddin and Eldad Levy, who run regional programs for Seeds and who are Seeds themselves, explained how they are adapting their work in light of the violence and how American Seeds can help to support their peers.

Graduate Seeds from around the world spoke to the seminar via Skype. From Kabul, Afghan Seed and journalist Mujib addressed the US elections from an Afghan perspective.

He also shared the local outlook on President Obama’s plans to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2014, discussing potential implications of a US disengagement without a long-term investment to the country.

Mona, an Egyptian Seed who covered the Arab Spring for The New York Times spoke to the Seeds in person about her experiences as a journalist and her views on the US role in the Middle East.

“Her ability to remain an objective journalist in the face of a revolution in her home country was especially astounding,” said Kalyani, an American Seed. “I have decided that when I grow up I want to be her. Not necessarily a journalist, but to have the same desire to do research and learn for myself in the hopes that it will educate others. That is the part of her journalism and documentary that I find most admirable.”

Reflecting on the biggest lesson learned from her Seeds of Peace experience, Mona challenged the Seeds to understand that there are more than two sides to a story—and to a conflict.

“It’s frustrating that people in my community either don’t know about the conflict or think that their side is right when they don’t even know a legitimate other side exists,” said American Seed Erica after the seminar. “I think spreading awareness, getting people out of their comfort zones, and exploring the real conflict is a huge part of what I have to do in my community.”

An Israeli Seed gave her perspective via Skype on Israel’s role in the presidential campaign and her thoughts about US support for Israeli policies toward Palestinians.

Another Israeli Seed spoke to the group about the continued importance of US involvement in the region and efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

His views were echoed by an Arab-Israeli Seed, who critiqued the Obama administration’s approach to the conflict. He also spoke about his work as the founder of a non-profit that works with underprivileged youth in his community.

DECEMBER PROGRAMS • Community dialogue series for Israelis and Palestinians • Uninationals for Israeli and Palestinian Seeds to discuss recent violence and Israeli elections • Afghanistan youth outreach camp • Training for Maine Seeds to address issues most pressing in Maine right now.

• Seeds-run Interfaith Camp in Pakistan

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Exploring worldwide reaction to US election

LAHORE | Seeds in Pakistan and India held separate parliamentary simulations this month for local high school students. The two-day exercises helped them better understand the policies of countries that are often perceived as being hostile.

For example, the mock parliament in Mumbai simulated the Pakistani legislature.

“In this way they can find the similarities in Pakistani and Indian internal problems,” said Jasir, one of the 19 Seeds who helped organize the event.

“Moreover, viewing matters as a Pakistani politician will help them understand the other side. This can bridge the gap between two neighbours.”

In Lahore, Pakistani Seeds organized a simulation of the US House of Representatives for 55 students from 19 area schools.

“This gives them the opportunity to think and act as policy makers, which prepares and empowers them as leaders of tomorrow,” said Jasir.

“They get the chance to think and view things from a different perceptive, which helps them to realise how policymakers were or were not justified in their actions.”

Past simulations in Lahore have included the Indian and Afghan legislatures.

FALL 2012

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION It was an incredible summer for Seeds of Peace and I am thrilled to report on the impact of our work directly through the voices of our participants.

We pushed hard this summer to equip Seeds with the skills they need to act as forces for change in their home countries.

In Ireland, 60 Seeds examined reconciliation efforts, drawing tangible conclusions for how to advance peace at home. Senator George Mitchell, honorary chair of the program, told the Seeds, “I believe in your ability to become

‘game-changers’ that can play a role in ending conflict and advancing peace.”

Meanwhile, their Seas of Peace peers tackled tough issues through dialogue while crewing a 125-foot tall ship.

Finally, we marked our 20th Camp season in Maine with a record number of campers, each one demonstrating courage and commitment. It was also wonderful to have so many Seeds return to Pleasant Lake as Counselors, Facilitators and Educators.

At Camp, I saw both hope and po-

I’ve been involved with Seeds of Peace as a camper, a Seas sailor and a Counselor, and each time it reminded me why I can’t stay away. As a 14-year-old camper, I learned to listen and understand others that I disagree with. As a returning camper and Seas sailor, I became more confident and participated in dialogue at a more mature level.

This summer, as a Counselor, it was my turn to give new campers the safe and warm environment I had. I did everything I could to make their experience unforgettable and, at the same time, learned so much from them.

— Hiba, Palestinian Seed and 2012 Counselor

tential in the eyes of our newest Seeds, the same hope and potential that John Wallach saw at the end of the summer 20 years ago.

Thanks to your support, their hope solidified and their courage deepened. I look forward to sharing with you the impact they will have on their societies.

Thank you for believing in us; thank you for believing in our Seeds. Join me in feeling proud of their leadership, potential and impact.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

As a counselor at Camp this summer, I finally had the chance to say thank-you to Seeds of Peace by sharing the important skills I have acquired through the organization with a new generation of campers.

But, I wondered, will I be swept away by the Camp experience this time as well? After all, I have grown older and more cynical since my last visit to Camp.

I am glad to say that the experience led me toward an even better understanding of the other side—this time along with my campers—and once again I left exhilarated, inspired, and most of all, hopeful that a better tomorrow is possible.

— Yotam, Israeli Seed and 2012 Counselor

Inspiring the next generation of campers

Exploring reconciliation in Northern Ireland

What I found really interesting in coming to Northern Ireland is to see that even though there are really big conflicts on both sides, still peace can be achieved.

— Omer, Israeli Seed In the workshops about sources of conflict, I learned how to connect between conflicts.

Seeing the similarities between the Northern Ireland conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict really surprised me and made me

understand my conflict in a deeper way.

Right now I feel like an iceberg is melting in my heart. I am so, so happy in this place and I’m really happy for these experiences.

I’m grateful to all the people who helped in giving me these opportunities. I see myself as a “game-changer” in the future.

— Hashem, Palestinian Seed I feel that dialogue is so important because it is only once you talk to people that you real-

ize how to solve things. Only once you know what they’re thinking can you challenge what you’re thinking inside of yourself.

Sometimes you just feel like nothing is going to change. But then, when you come to Northern Ireland and see the amount of hope others have for their own conflict and they tell you what hope they have for you, it makes you feel like you can go home and spread that hope to other people.

—Magdy, Egyptian Seed

Discovering understanding at sea Seas of Peace was very challenging, but I learned countless lessons, like how to acknowledge others in dialogue without judgment, regardless of who they are.

I’m so proud to be a part of Seeds and Seas and I feel so lucky to have more brothers and sisters who really care about me.

— Razan, Palestinian Seed It’s about throwing us all out of our comfort zones into the unknown world of sailing where we’re learning how to coexist with each other in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

We must trust that the emotional, personal stories we share in dialogue will be understood and acknowledged, and with that acknowledgement comes forgiveness and hope.

Peace is possible if more small groups like Seas of Peace could reach a similar level of understanding.

— Emily, American Seed

Connecting educators from regions in conflict When I was a camper at Seeds of Peace in 1994, I first learned the meaning of peace.

This is the thing that has given me hope for all the things I am facing in Gaza.

This time I came back as an Educator. I learned a lot and I’d like to go back home and share this experience with my students.

I’d like to see my society benefit from my experience here.

— Lubna, Head of Lower School, American International School in Gaza

The experience of this program has been fascinating. I work with an NGO called Citizens for Peace and we deal with issues of difference that cause conflict, like caste, religion and language. The arts have a universal language so I feel that by using these methodologies I’ll be able to draw people in.

When they speak of their identities they’ll be able to find a common language through the arts, which transcend all boundaries.

It’s a wonderful space in which to bring people together.

— Gulan, Indian Leadership Facilitator

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SPRING 2012

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION As we welcome 300 new Seeds to our 20th summer of Camp, we are also set to launch Seas of Peace and a “Game Changers” conference for 60 Seeds in Dublin, two initiatives among the regional programs that sustain older Seeds throughout the year. As the campers learn the foundations of peace-building in Maine, their predecessors will advance their skills at home, on the high seas, and in Ireland, where they will learn from a divided island where peace is now taking root.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Tackling tough domestic issues: settlements, normalization JERUSALEM | Post-Camp programming builds Seeds’ knowledge of conflict issues and ability to understand differing perspectives through regular gatherings within each country. Accordingly, single-delegation meetings for Israelis and Palestinians this spring, known as “uninationals,” focused on two contentious issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: settlements and “normalization.”

Settlements constitute a deeply divisive domestic issue for Israelis. A dauntingly complex matter with legal, security, religious and human dimensions, their existence and status have drawn international attention and engender ongoing contention within Israel as

well as between Israel and its neighbors.

As any Seed who has participated in Camp’s dialogue sessions knows, direct interpersonal experiences are the best way to gain understanding of others’ mindsets.

In this spirit, a 2010 Seed organized a mid-April visit for 16 Israeli Seeds to Ma’ale Adumim, one of the largest Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Seeds tackled tough discussions, learning the differences between Israeli and international law and the criteria that distinguish between “illegal” and “legal” settlements under Israeli law. Such knowledge—and the ability to engage with it—will enable Seeds to speak and act with greater

intention both within their own society and during cross-border dialogue and endeavors.

A Ramallah uninational also took place in April to allow Palestinian Seeds to discuss “normalization” and Palestinian identity. For Palestinian Seeds, debate on the topic looms large.

Many Palestinians define “normalization” as contact or cooperation with official institutions in Israel or, at other times, to any contact between Israelis and Palestinians where the primary stated purpose is not to resist military occupation and where the Israeli side doesn’t CONTINUED (OVER)

Leading discussions on Pakistani unity

Teaching history, shaping understanding in South Asia LAHORE | At Camp, Qasim (Pakistani Seed 2001, 2004, Counselor 2007) discovered that the national and regional textbooks of Indian and Pakistani schools, while ostensibly describing the same history, contain completely contradictory narratives. As a Seed, he knew well that such contradictions complicated the dialogue process, and he hoped someday to reshape and reconcile the Indian and Pakistani understandings.

As soon as the Seed Ventures small grants program was announced, Qasim and his Camp colleagues submitted an application for what they called “the History Project,” which they developed in order to create cohesive yet multifaceted educational materials that could be used to teach history in both countries. Winning the grant allowed them to fund travel to Lahore for six Indian Seeds, who worked intensively with an equal number

of Pakistani Seeds on the project.

All Seeds prepared for the trip by researching various topics in the standard Indian and Pakistani history textbooks. Once in the same location, the two delegations compared their findings and began to design a new curriculum that would incorporate and reflect on the different historical narratives found in India and Pakistan. The Indian Seeds spent the week living with the families of their Pakistani peers and led several presentations for students in Pakistani schools.

Ira, one of the participating Indian Seeds, said, “It has been very surreal to be here in Lahore and this will be an experience that I … will carry with me wherever I go. I found many stark similarities between the home of my host family and my own home; it felt like being home all over again, and it had that feeling of being loved.”

Using the Internet for education in Kabul KABUL | The Internet Training Course, a Seed Ventures project developed and led by Shapoor, a 2009 Afghan Seed, launched in March at the Ghulam Haidar Khan High School. Shapoor aims to provide over 300 Kabul public school students with computers and workshops on using the Internet as an educational resource, a way “to learn, search and communicate.” More than 250 teachers, participants in an Afghanistan Ministry of Education training seminar, attended the launch.

Access to the Internet is rare in Afghanistan; its absence leaves a void in students’ ability

to access information about other countries and cultures. Many schools in Kabul lack both computers and related curricula.

In addition to increasing technological awareness and facility among Kabul youth, the Internet Training Course will provide substantial leadership development opportunities: while professionals taught the first workshop, subsequent workshops will turn that first session’s students into the next session’s teachers. The investment Shapoor has led will be leveraged into widening circles of training in essential skills for Afghan youth.

LAHORE | Seeds of Peace Director of Pakistani Programs Sajjad Ahmad envisioned a forum in which youth of the many provinces of Pakistan could cross their internal borders for dialogue that would reduce tensions between the regions.

Under his guidance, 25 Pakistani Seeds and Educators coordinated the first National Integration Camp in Lahore this spring.

Representing all four provincial capitals and the federal capital of Pakistan, 50 youth, aged 14-17 years, and 10 educators came together in delegations comprised of 10 students and two educators each to discuss domestic challenges and dynamics as well as regional issues.

Pakistan’s provinces range greatly in political and economic power, and major national issues like the distribution of resources have sparked friction. While the political debate occupies the governmental level, for youth, the differences are perceived culturally.

The camp helped participants understand and appreciate each other’s cultures. The participants discussed terrorism and internal violence, law and order, and gender divides.

Ahsanullah Mohsin, principal of a public school in Quetta who escorted 10 students from Balochistan to the camp, said his students developed a better understanding of other people and “got to know about other cultures in the country and how similar we all are despite our apparent differences.”

Follow-up work with the participants in each province will continue over the next nine months as they bring the lessons they have learned back home to their schools and communities.

Looking ahead with Jared Cohen, VOICE OF A SEED on Camp Madeleine Albright & Graduates Reflecting dialogue sessions NEW YORK | Hope and determination took the stage on May 16 as the Seeds of Peace community celebrated the accomplishments of Seeds and honored two of its dedicated spokespeople, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Google Ideas Director Jared Cohen, with Peacemaker Awards.

At the Spring Dinner, speakers combined a cheerful mood with practical considerations and measured idealism.

“We cannot wave a magic wand and turn ignorance to understanding and pry open minds that have long since closed. But … we can sow the seeds of healing and knowledge,” Secretary Albright stated.

“Unlike people who believe that conflict is the natural order of things, we believe that strife comes most often from ignorance, which can be dispelled through personal contact, dialogue, and the will to understand.”

The importance of knowledge and communication formed a trope across the evening’s speakers. Parnian, an Afghan Seed who had returned to her school after the Taliban fell only to find it “destroyed,” spoke of her plan for the immediate future “to do field research and secure funds and safe access to education for girls in Afghanistan.”

“I don’t want them to live the life that I lived,” she said. “I want them to be educated.

It empowers. And it brings peace.”

Jared Cohen, the second keynote speaker of the evening, called Seeds of Peace “the quintessential example of an organization looking to bridge the divide and understanding gap that so often and unfairly plagues our world with different challenges”—an organization that he has “long admired.”

Mahmoud, a Palestinian Seed, and Lior, an Israeli Seed, joined Jared Cohen in discussion; both have significant experience in the world of journalism.

Lior and Mahmoud spoke with authority on the role that technology and the media play in disseminating knowledge and opinions.

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Lior commented, “A lot of kids in Israel, when they’re 18 and join the army, get a very powerful weapon, an M-16. I think I got an even more powerful weapon, because I got a microphone. And when you get a microphone ... a lot of people hear what you have to say.”

Lior believes that his experiences as a Seed influence the way in which he delivers the news: “I get a report about something that happened in Hebron, or in Gaza, and I get to thinking, okay, this is Hebron ... Mahmoud is in Hebron. Maybe this is close to him. It gets a different treatment than it would with any other news editor or presenter.”

Mahmoud noted, “without technology, for me as a Seed, I wouldn’t be able to continue to be in touch with many of the friends I’ve made.”

His analysis went deeper: “The way we are using the Internet as young people, it’s shifting power, but we have to know that it’s putting more responsibility on us. Now we have to share and to think about a strategy as youth, to use it in a way that unites us together ... to take us to common ground.”

Upon hearing the Seeds speak, Jared Cohen reflected that they “embody the reasons we should all be optimistic about the future.”

The evening retained a sense of solemn purpose.

“Tonight really is a time to celebrate but also to recommit ourselves,” Secretary Albright said. She noted political and psychological roadblocks to the pursuit of peace: “After all, the world is big, and the obstacles to progress can seem intractable.”

She emphasized the importance of what may seem to be small steps, advising those present “not to expect instant miracles, but instead to plant some seeds.”

“We can answer the cynics by working harder than they do, caring more passionately and relying on the kind of hope that is fertile because it never stops growing within us.”

TEL AVIV | The 2012 campers will have their most powerful experiences in Dialogue. Israeli Seed Shira (Camp 2011) describes the path they are about to travel: If I could describe my dialogue sessions in one word it would be “intense.”

Before Camp, I dreaded Dialogue: I was so afraid I wouldn’t know enough, that we would just be talking cold, hard facts. But now, dialogue is one of the things I miss most.

At first, my group would only yell at each other. Each camper came with very clear opinions and we were so set in our own opinions that we wouldn’t listen to anyone else.

If someone from one side talked, the other side would just think about something else to say to defend themselves. There was a lot of crying and anger ... I was actually scared of my group!

Every dialogue ended with everyone asking our facilitators for more time—there really isn’t enough time in the world to finish saying all you have to say about the conflict. Even by the end of Dialogue, we still had more to say to each other. About a week and a half into Camp things calmed down a bit. We actually started listening to each other—at least part of the group did.

Dialogue at Seeds of Peace teaches you to respect others’ opinions and not to judge anyone before you know them. I also learned that we are so much more than the sum of our political views.

SETTLEMENTS/NORMALIZATION CONTINUED

first support all rights asked for by Palestinians.

Some use the term as a critical accusation of those perceived to promote Palestinian acceptance of the status quo.

The day-long program featured several speakers, most notably Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian peace activist who came to his belief in dialogue after shocking losses. He was shot in the leg by an Israeli settler and returned from rehabilitation to find his brother had been killed by an Israeli soldier. He has teamed with the Bereaved Families Forum, a group of 500 Israeli and Palestinian families that have lost close relatives, to work toward reconciliation and a just resolution to the conflict. Awwad was joined by Maisa Shkier, whose work centers on concepts of identity and cultural development and the perception of Palestinians at home and abroad.

These uninationals provided Seeds with an opportunity to engage in honest and, at times, gritty dialogue on community-dividing issues, providing an important supplement to the binational gatherings that also occur throughout the year.

WINTER 2012

SEEDS OF PEACE IN ACTION The year is off to an incredible start! From Maine to Pakistan and many places in between, this edition of Seeds of Peace in Action gives you a great taste of the breadth and relevance of Seeds of Peace regional programming. Our Seeds continue to engage their communities and lead the way toward a more peaceful future. Thank you for believing in them, and believing in us.

—Leslie A. Lewin, Executive Director

Exploring strategies to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace JERUSALEM | Does the road to peace go through the United Nations or through direct negotiations?

Who has the right to declare independence? Can the international community deny this right?

If the Palestinian bid for statehood in the UN is successful, what effect will it have on the peace process?

Israeli and Palestinian Seeds came together to explore these and many other questions during a December 3-4 binational featuring prominent experts who presented different perspectives on diplomatic strategy and potential paths toward peace. Dr. Omar Awadallah, head of the United Nations Department of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, and Meital Nir-Tal of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Legal Ad-

viser’s Office, both addressed the 60 Seeds who were gathered in Jerusalem.

The two-day conference also featured intensive dialogue sessions, led by a team of older Seeds trained as dialogue facilitators. The Seeds examined efforts at the UN to admit Palestine, the stalemated peace process, and the relative effectiveness of unilateral and bilateral efforts towards peace.

Leading community dialogue in Maine PORTLAND | In an extended observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Maine Seeds partnered with the Portland branch of the NAACP to help organize and lead three days of celebration and education.

On January 7, 10 Seeds met for facilitation skills training and a discussion about democracy and poverty with young adults from across Maine.

“We explored techniques for guiding a dialogue while allowing it to develop into a deep and meaningful conversation,” said Spencer, a participating Maine Seed.

Equipped with new knowledge and skills, the Seeds helped to facilitate a community dialogue in conjunction with the City of Portland, Maine Interfaith Youth Alliance, the University of New England, and other organizations.

About 150 community members participated in the January 14 discussion, forming small groups to talk about Dr. King’s ideas regarding race, class, and power.

The Seeds credited Seeds of Peace with helping them become leaders, both in the framework of this event and in tackling socioeconomic challenges facing their state.

The NAACP selected two Seeds to take part in the State of the State address on January 16. The two were also named as MLK Fellows and will continue their involvement in social action projects that address issues related to justice and poverty in their communities.

The Maine Seeds Program was created in 2000, when Seeds of Peace adapted its international conflict resolution model to focus on intercommunal tensions in Maine.

The program provides a diverse group of high potential Maine youth—including refugees and asylum seekers, as well as those whose families have been in the US for generations—with the relationships, understanding, and skills to effectively bridge divides that exist in their communities.

Learning negotiation skills from Harvard Law faculty, students JERUSALEM | In partnership with the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP) at Harvard Law School, Seeds of Peace offered 32 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds a three-day training in basic mediation and negotiation techniques.

Participants in the intensive January 13-15 program engaged in a variety of role-playing and active listening exercises that highlighted the significant role emotion plays in the negotiation process. They also learned specifically about multi-party negotiation during a simulation based on the Northern Ireland conflict.

“It was a fascinating opportunity to learn how to overcome obstacles in the negotiation process and how to be a good mediator between people, which as Seeds is something we often experience,” said one participant.

HNMCP pairs Harvard Law faculty and students with corporations and organizations to provide services in the fields of negotiation, dispute resolution and conflict management.

While at the training, Seeds also met in small discussion groups to talk about how to apply the new skills and concepts they were

learning to their relationships with one another as well as to their communications with others across the conflict.

The training curriculum, designed and led by Harvard Law School faculty, was supplemented by an instructional guide so that Seeds of Peace staff can lead the training independently in the future.

“It was an honor to partner with Seeds of Peace on this project,” said Robert Bordone, HNMCP director. “I was deeply impressed by the Seeds’ passion, energy and enthusiasm for the material. The path-breaking work they do every day is inspiring and so important.”

“On behalf of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program, I hope this is the beginning of a fruitful collaboration that will give us opportunities to engage Seeds and help develop their skills in conflict resolution, mediation and peace-building.”

The Seeds will reconvene for day-long sessions in February and March in order to share their experiences using the techniques acquired in the training, and to continue their skill development.

Reuniting to learn the religious and historical significance of Haifa JERUSALEM | Over 100 Israeli and Palestinian Seeds reunited in Haifa on January 28 to hear about the city’s history and to engage in cross-conflict dialogue.

A city with a large Arab population, Haifa holds particular importance to many Seeds.

Some of the West Bank Palestinians who attended the event come from families who have refugee status and relatives who lived in Haifa before 1948.

Given this context, the Seeds focused on learning about the city, its past and present inhabitants, the different narratives about its history, and how these relate to the larger nar-

ratives of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The day began with Bahá’í guides providing insights on their faith and leading the Seeds on a tour of the Shrine of the Báb and its gardens.

Seeds then toured Wadi Nisnas, a neighborhood with particular historical significance in relation to the events of 1948. Today, the neighborhood is home to an arts festival and tolerance project. Guides from the Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Community Center led the tour, after which Seeds gathered at the Center to debrief and meet with visiting Seeds of Peace Executive Director Leslie Lewin.

Addressing local community issues in Pakistan LAHORE | Seeds Ventures initiatives continued this December as Pakistani Seeds organized a free medical clinic and the second annual Interfaith Harmony Camp.

Designed to enable Seeds to plan and implement projects addressing needs in their communities, Seeds Ventures programming in South Asia was developed in partnership with Ashoka Youth Venture.

In early December, the Seeds-run medical clinic provided health screenings and medical checkups to over 300 people, 65 percent of whom were female.

“We wanted to provide basic health screening and create awareness about the importance of health and hygiene in this underprivileged community, which cannot afford private consultants,” said Rana, one of 15 Seeds in charge of the clinic, which was located in the Green Town area of Lahore. “These people only visit doctors when they have reached the last stage of terminal diseases.”

Gynecologist and Graduate Seed Dr. Mahak was one of the four doctors who volunteered for the day to give diabetes, cholesterol, calcium, and eye tests as well as OBGYN, dermatological, respiratory, and gastrological consultations, all free of charge.

She noted that the number of women attending the clinic highlighted the need to increase opportunities for women from rural and impoverished areas to learn about reproductive health. Programs like the medical clinic, she said, were also essential to instilling a sense of social responsibility in youth.

Kathryn A. Kiser, the Cultural Affairs Officer at the US Consulate in Lahore, was among the dignitaries who visited the clinic.

At the end of December, 60 Muslim, Sikh and Christian students aged 14-16 participated in the second annual Seeds of Peace Interfaith Harmony Camp at St. Anthony’s High School in Lahore. The youth spent three days together developing mutual understanding and trust and sharing their thoughts on the religious tensions that exist in their country.

Specific topics ranged from blasphemy laws and discrimination to Christmas and Islamophobia.

“Through this camp, we hope to promote a sense of harmony, tolerance and respect in these young minds,” said Tooba, one of the Seeds who organized the event in order to bring an aspect of the Seeds of Peace experience to youth who do not have the chance to travel to Maine. Campers played team sports,

participated in group challenge activities, and engaged in dialogue sessions during which they spoke about their religions and explored each other’s perspectives.

“We discussed the similarities and stereotypes about our beliefs,” said Mubashar, a 16-year-old Muslim participant who, like many others in attendance, had never met Sikh students before and enjoyed the opportunity to learn about their culture and religion.

Through the camp, he said, he learned both to live with diversity and to respect that diversity.

Ted Gehr and Brinille Ellis from the US Consulate in Lahore distributed certificates of participation to the campers, praising the teens’ efforts as peacemakers as well as the work of Seeds of Peace.

Engaging with Sen. Mitchell and Sir Cohen on Middle East peace NEW YORK | Seeds and their supporters had two opportunities to broaden their understanding of the elements necessary to attain lasting peace in the Middle East by hearing the perspectives of prominent leaders.

In November, Sir Ronald Cohen, Founder and Chairman of the Portland Trust, and parent of a Seed, delivered an address on “Peace and Prosperity: The Connected Imperatives.”

The Portland Trust is a private not for profit British “action tank” committed to promoting peace and stability between Palestinians and Israelis through economic development.

Sir Ronald stressed the role that Palestinian financial security and growth plays in the peace process and described some of the Trust’s initiatives, which include the development of financial and economic infrastructure, housing, trade, investment and entrepreneurship. He stated his belief that “the development of a thriving and sustainable Palestinian economy is a necessary condition for peace.”

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Sir Ronald emphasized the importance of Seeds of Peace and urged the organization to “scale up its efforts” in empowering youth to create societal structures which will enable reconciliation.

Senator George Mitchell presented his assessment of the current state of the IsraeliPalestinian peace process at a forum held in January.

The Senator, who has had broad experience negotiating the conflict, both as the chair of the international summit held in Sharm El Sheikh after the outbreak of the second Intifada and during his two-year term as President Obama’s Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, cited many reasons for pessimism, but stated that he does not accept that the conflict is unsolvable. He recalled that 83 percent of people in Northern Ireland believed a peace agreement to be impossible just five days before one was reached.

Recognizing self-interest as a primary motivator during negotiations, the Senator stressed

the need for individuals and governments to realize that the positive outcomes of peace are worth the act of compromising on what may seem to be non-negotiable. At the same time, he acknowledged that leaders often display an inability to find common ground to end conflict in a way that is acceptable to their societies. He noted that each side has a profound sense of victimization and each has a realistic basis for it. There is a mutual fear of the future and anxiety about change.

Mitchell concluded his remarks by stating that what is needed to move the process forward are leaders with the courage and determination to harness their societies’ support for positions that are thought to be impossible—the type of leaders that Seeds of Peace is developing. “It is so important that organizations like yours expand at times that seem most pessimistic,” he said.

“Despair, like many diseases, is infectious.

Through its young leaders, Seeds of Peace brings hope.”

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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