BULLETIN Spring 2005
PROMISING PROGRAMS
CENTER FOR COEXISTENCE IN JERUSALEM
BEYOND BORDERS IN JORDAN
This year has witnessed a tremendous increase in regional programs, as Seeds continue their dialogue, reaching out to their peers and communities, and acquiring critical leadership and professional skills. Most exciting, the dramatic expansion of activity is a result of the Seeds’ own efforts, as they have organized themselves to devise, plan, and execute programs in Israel, the West Bank, Amman and Cairo.
Seeds of Peace received a majestic welcome in Jordan as it conducted the second part of the Beyond Borders exchange program this March reuniting 33 Americans from six US cities with 24 Arab teenagers from Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait and Yemen. This group, as well as the 22 accompanying adult educators, first met in Maine in August 2004.
In early 2005, two very successful Civil Rights Seminars were held in the Middle East – one for Israeli and Palestinian Seeds in Jerusalem and the other for Egyptian and Jordanian Seeds in Cairo. Each conference was attended by over 30 participants, which included both Seeds and their classmates. “Unity Teams” were created that now meet locally to help their schools bring a better understanding about civil rights to a broader audience. Beyond Borders, jointly funded by private donors from the Arab world and the US State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiatives, is the type of exchange program recommended by numerous reports and panels to address the growing US-Arab/Muslim divide. Thus far, participants have actively been promoting greater understanding in their communities, and this conference will only further their efforts. To open the conference, H.M. King Abdullah welcomed the group to his palace and answered questions about the role youth can play in improving the ArabAmerican relationship. This meeting was covered on Jordanian TV and in the newspapers. The royal treatment continued as these future leaders later met with H.M. Queen Noor, Deputy Prime Minister Marwan Muasher, H.R.H. Prince El Hassan bin Talal, David Hale of the US Embassy in Amman, and Dr. Amal Sabbagh of the Jordanian National Commission for Women. The week ended with visits to cultural sites including Petra. One of the most meaningful experiences was the informative peer-to-peer talk given by Israeli Seed, Ran (1994) and Palestinian Seed Leena (1996). Hearing from these two fellow Seeds, the students got a very personal lesson on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and how Seeds of Peace has impacted their lives.
Other Center programs have included: • Mediation and Negotiation Course for 35 older Israeli and Palestinian Seeds who meet weekly to train as leaders in their communities and within the Seeds of Peace organization. The course is a joint effort with Seeds of Peace, the Jerusalem Mediation and Conflict Resolution Institute, and the Palestinian Resolution Institute. • Our Neighbors Seminar attended by over 100 Palestinian and Israeli Seeds over a three-day period to continue dialogue and discuss community leadership. • Dialogue Groups for 60 Seeds and their non-Seeds friends to expand IsraeliPalestinian communication and learning to a larger audience. • Community Service Projects including Seeds improving a public park, volunteering for the disabled and for those with social difficulties, and teaching teambuilding to children. • Seeds committee to plan the Leadership Summit for Seeds from 1993-1998, set to take place in Maine during summer 2005. SPREADING THE WORD IN SOUTH ASIA Seeds from South Asia were energized over the winter by three-day leadership workshops: one held in Mumbai, India and another held in Lahore, Pakistan. Both workshops included leadership training, dialogue sessions, Bring-a-Friend day, and the creation of a video project that Indian
and Pakistani Seeds participated in individually and then shared across the border. In early 2005, the Seeds of Peace Afghanistan program was reenergized with a Bring-a-Friend workshop. Thirty Afghan Seeds partook in a leadership training workshop and explored traits of world leaders, their country, and their personal lives before exploring their own leadership qualities and ways to promote peace to their family, friends and communities.
SPECIAL EVENTS Seeds of Peace held two successful fundraising events in February co-sponsored by its Young Leadership Committees in New York and Washington DC. The 7th Annual Bid for Peace Celebrity Auction in NYC brought celebrities, dignitaries, and 1,200 professionals together to raise almost $850K for Seeds of Peace. The event included special guests Christiane Amanpour of CNN, Former Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin, and former US Ambassador to the UN Richard C. Holbrooke. Universal Artists’ Miri Ben-Ari, the hip hop violinist and recent Grammy Award-winner, performed live, followed by DJ Mark Ronson who kept the
crowd on its feet. Numerous celebrities including Robert DeNiro, Edie Falco, Christine Baranski, and Billy Crudup “walked the path to peace” down the red carpet accompanied by a Seeds graduate to show their support for the program. The first inaugural Young Leadership event in Washington DC hosted over 600 guests and honored former National Security Advisor Samuel R. Berger. Among other notables in attendance were French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. Sign up for our monthly e-Newsletter at www.seedsofpeace.org.
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