MIDDLE EAST, SOUTH ASIA, UNITED STATES/UNITED KINGDOM
Overcoming Obstacles | July 7
An initiative like Seeds of Peace can be expected to experience both good times and bad times, depending upon the impact of changing external and internal events.
It has never been easy to gather together young people from all sides of some of the most enduring conflicts in the world. Several other non-governmental organizations doing similar work have folded under the impact of reignited conflicts. Seeds of Peace is left standing today as the only cross-border conflict resolution organization for youth in the Middle East. This hasn’t been easy, and it won’t ever be. The changes we make must be intentional. The Board of Directors and the staff must operate in sync with the demands of this time in human history.
Today, we find ourselves making big adjustments in our program and staff design. Instead of trying to locate an Executive Director who could quickly adapt to the needs of our organization, we have joined together two highly knowledgeable staff members to lead our programs. Eva Amour, Director of Impact, and Vishnu Swaminathan, our Chief Operating Officer, are the chief administrators of Seeds of Peace. Together they are guiding us back to our original objectives and reimagining our methodology, based on the years of research that Seeds of Peace has compiled with the help of the University of Chicago.
This is an important moment for Seeds of Peace. To honor it, we have started over with our original Camp Director, Tim Wilson, and Seeds of Peace Co-founder Bobbie Gottschalk. Eva and Vishnu, along with many seasoned Camp staff are designing and leading our new program. Eric Kapenga, long-time communications director, is also back with us, onsite. Even our beloved nurses, Lynn and Lois, will be joining the team. Many of the Camp staff are Seeds from across the years. All are motivated to restore and redesign all the aspects of our Camp program.
Up until the week before Camp was due to begin, we had hoped to move the program to an international school in New Mexico. But flooding contaminated the area’s drinking water and we had to make an immediate switch! Tim Wilson located a school in Maine which could give us their facilities immediately. So, here we are, camp staff all moved in and ready to welcome the campers from Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Pakistan, India, the United States, and the United Kingdom tomorrow!
Settling in to a new home | July 10
Today is the 22nd anniversary of the death of Seeds of Peace founder John Wallach. In the years since John’s passing, Seeds of Peace has weathered many a storm, both from without and within, but the last few years have been especially challenging.
Our saving grace has been our outstanding staff. This summer, we had 72 hours to find a new location for Camp. We had to act fast! All the travel arrangements had to be rerouted to Maine and months of logistical planning had to be scrapped. Were it not for our fleet-footed staff, we could not have made such a quick change in plans.
The physical space in the new location is beautiful, but quite different from the camp setting in we were used to hosting Camp. Everything had to be adjusted to fit this new place. Instead of bunks, the campers are living in small dormitories. They keep the doors to their rooms open so they have more interaction with their peers.
There are beautiful spaces for dialogue sessions in classrooms at the library. The atmosphere in the library is serious, which supports the work of the dialogue sessions. At our old home, the dialogue huts were right next to the playing fields, bringing the noise of softball and tennis right into the discussions.
The medical staff is delighted with the first-class medical center at the school. And all of us are thrilled with the wonderful food. So what is there not to like? We are all happy campers!
John Wallach would have been so happy to see Seeds of Peace today. His original dream is still a beautiful reality.
Flagraising | July 11
It is only the second full day of Camp, but you might not believe that, witnessing the high level of interaction between the campers in different delegations and their courage to exhibit their talents.
Our Camp program combines fun with learning and challenging experiences. It is no wonder that by the end of the session, most campers are more confident and compassionate.
Our hope is that they will respect and trust all the people at Camp, guided by our experiential education. One counselor has challenged herself, out loud, to remember the names of everyone here, by Saturday. She is wrapping her mind around the whole community!
Another key to creating a community is the willingness to look silly sometimes. The counselors are especially good at that. We are all in the process of learning here. Sometimes, it helps reduce campers’ anxiety, if the adults try new things in front of the campers. If they mess up, they know that laughing at themselves is the best way to teach the campers not to judge themselves harshly when they fail to learn something quickly.
Last night we had a flagraising ceremony, lifting up only one flag: the Seeds of Peace flag. Seeds on staff then spoke to the campers about the meaning of Seeds of Peace in their lives. The whole Camp sang the Seeds of Peace anthem together for the first time.
The evening activity was a lip sync contest between the dormitory groups. They were charged with creating a dance to go with their lip syncing. They chose their own song from Disney movies. No one chose “Frozen” however, although that might have been fun, given the hot temperatures we have had so far. Two groups chose “A Whole New World.”
Each day, the second-year campers are being given more responsibilities. Today they were tasked with finding an efficient way to serve the meals. The food is wonderful and varied, making the food lines move slowly, as each camper wants to know the names of new dishes.
We always have a special activity period during the day, so-called because they are generated from the counselors’ special talents. Today there were four: Spoken Word, Bollywood dance, Debke, and Ultimate Frisbee. The campers choose the activity in which they would participate.
Dialogue groups meet daily, half the camp in the morning and the other half during the afternoon. After lunch, there is always a much-needed rest hour.
Lineup | July 12
Lineup is an important part of Camp. It is usually right before each meal. It is a time for the counselors and other leaders to promote cohesiveness in our community. There are scheduling updates and weather reports. The weather reports are presented by counselors and campers in an entertaining way, with song and guitar. In Maine, the weather has to be considered as we plan our activities. Fortunately, some experienced counselors were able to move the lineup from a hot, sunny place where everyone had to stand together, to a shady area where everyone sits on benches. It is located next to the dining hall. Brilliant!
One of the things we do at lineup is acknowledge the birthdays, if we have them. Today, we had three girls celebrating their birthdays and all of them live together in the same dormitory. We usually ask the birthday people to skip around the room—twice!—and the three girls did that while holding hands.
Last night, the counselors and facilitators experimented with a late night all-staff meeting to acknowledge what was going well and what was not. We waited until all the campers were asleep. The staff met from 11 p.m. until midnight, some dressed in their PJs, ready for bed. Well, that is not completely true. Some of us slept through the meeting, regardless of attire. That experiment failed. Let’s face it: getting the whole staff together for an hour while the campers are in our care may not be possible. Everyone is really tired after a full day of Camp.
The evening activities are in contrast with the serious dialogue sessions the campers have with skilled facilitators. Typically, evening activities are just for fun. We want to give the campers opportunities to get know one another. Studies have shown that having just one close connection with someone from those on the other side of a conflict helps people think better of the entire other side.
Last night, the campers put on a trash bag fashion show. They divided into teams and chose a model among them. Then they came up with costumes made from scraps of things as well as the trash bag to represent some of the elements of life, such as fire or water. After the winner was chosen, the campers went back to their dorms and prepared for bed.
Celebrations | July 13
Birthday celebrations at Camp can be both happy and sad. Sad because the campers are not with their families and friends back home, as usual. Happy because they have a very special day at Camp. Their birthdays are announced first thing in the morning. The counselors help the other campers create ways to celebrate in their dormitory. At lunchtime, we have them skip around the dining room, twice, and the kitchen makes a special dessert for them. They also get a chance to call home.
Yesterday we had a very special birthday celebration for three girls in one dorm bunk who all became a year older on the same day! They held hands when they skipped around the dining room.
In the afternoon, we had a challenging Ultimate Frisbee game between the counselor team and the camper team. The counselors won; they had the advantage of having very experienced players on their side. Many of the campers were new to the game.
All afternoon, some staff members created a Ga Ga court in a padded room designed for wrestlers at this school. Ga Ga is a game that also needs protection, with all the jumping and running that takes place in a small area. We divided the campers into four competing teams. After dinner, the campers took off their shoes and played the game in their socks. At one point, the ball was kicked up to the ceiling and got stuck up there. In no time, one counselor raised a shorter one, with a long pole, up high and he was able to retrieve the ball.
This school has very good facilities. It is missing the lake and the bunk life, however. Both the lake and bunk life have been treasured and impactful parts of Camp. Only those of us who have spent a session or more at the old Camp site are missing these things, though. It will be interesting to see if the absence of the lake and bunk life will make any difference to the campers when they complete their attitudinal survey at the end of Camp.
Bunk Night | July 14
Every day we make a schedule for campers and counselors and other staff. Then Mother Nature makes a different one. Today, the weather made it imperative to go inside. So we went to the auditorium, where we didn’t have to worry about thunderstorms. The counselors suggested that the campers in dance special activities show us what they have learned so far. This was a great idea! The Bollywood and Debke dance groups rose to the occasion and surprised their instructors with how much they have already mastered.
The dining room and the auditorium are inside the same building. So, when it was time for dinner, we just walked a few steps and no one had to worry about getting wet. The storms ended and we proceeded to Bunk Night. We don’t really have bunks here, but we have divided the campers into separate groups inside the dorms. For Bunk Night, many bunks gathered around campfires.
Not having bunks has not really deprived the campers of bunk life. The divisions inside the dorms work like bunks. All the campers and counselors keep the doors to their rooms open and people share a living room and bathrooms. It is as close to living in a bunk as we can make it. When we take attendance at lineup, each bunk has an individual and creative way they introduce themselves. So far, this system is working very much like bunks.
Tim Wilson, the camp director, speaks to the campers at each of the three lineups. Sometimes, he is puzzled by the clothes the campers choose to wear. For example, some campers opt to wear heavy sweatshirts on very hot days. Today, he spoke to campers about the language they are using when they refer to certain people. As a person of color, Tim can speak from personal experience about how language can make minority groups feel disrespected. He is a powerful speaker.
Culture Night | July 15
One of the highlights of the Seeds of Peace Camp is Culture Night. The campers’ packing list include clothing that is representative of their culture. On Culture Night, everyone changes out of Seeds of Peace green shirts. It is a festive occasion.
After dinner, the individual delegations perform dances, songs and poetry characteristic of their backgrounds. They had practiced earnestly all day. Campers who had more than one culture in their ancestry spoke about their experiences, paying homage to their full cultural heritage.
We have seen many Cultural Night shows, but the one we had last evening was far and away the best we have ever had. What made it special was the inclusiveness and the mutual support between delegations. All the performances were rehearsed and many people were in their stretch zones on the stage.
Four people from in international news organization have been observing our program this week. Hopefully, their recordings will spread a little hope to other people around the world.
High Ropes | July 16
In six days, this Camp session will be over and all of the people in this community will be heading home to their loved ones. But until that final day, we will continue to take the time to get to know the other people who are helping us build a safe and caring home away from home.
We are moving ahead with challenges, such as the high ropes course at this school. The person who designed the course is the one instructing the campers as they gradually let go of their fear of heights, fear of falling and doubts about their own abilities.
Last night, the State Representative from Scarborough Sophie Warren came to speak to the campers about running for office and making progress in a political setting. She happens to be a Seed, too. She spoke about overcoming shyness and speaking up about her objectives for her community. And, she gave a lot of credit to her experiences as a Maine Seed.
The final activity of this day is a test of confidence and talent. It has been done many times before and is always fun. The name of this activity is “The Mostest.” The campers were divided into their Dialogue groups. They were given prompts, such as “Who has the best operatic voice in your group? Who makes the most convincing rendition of a bird call? Which group can make the most creative example of “a human machine?” This game is not just something fun to do. It is also a good way for the campers to practice working on a project together. The room was filled with laughter, courage and clever ideas—a great activity with which to end the day.
Café Night | July 17
Having tried out the low ropes on the sophisticated course at Camp yesterday, today the Peer Support campers, courageously tackled the high ropes. These high ropes included wooden platforms high up in the air, all strung together like the squares on a sidewalk. These 15 or so platforms are a foot or more apart and require the climber to leap from one to another.
Some of the campers were doubtful that they could travel across the platforms without falling. But if they had slipped, a sturdy rope was tied to them to prevent them from hitting the ground below. Our one camper from the United Kingdom was especially nervous. Every single PS camper cheered him on. At one point, when he hesitantly started out, the campers on the ground sang, “God Save our King!” This camper did make it to the end, legs shaking like crazy, thanks to all the cheering from the other campers in his dialogue group.
Tim Wilson invited 2022 Maine Seed Corey Hinton to speak at dinner lineup about the impact of Seeds of Peace on his life. Corey lives in Maine, as did his ancestors, as an indigenous member of the Penobscot Nation. Corey spoke about the importance of making good decisions that have a positive impact on one’s community. There are many campers who have also felt the sting of abuse and neglect by their governments. His decisions in life were relatable for them.
The PS’s traditionally prepare an evening program called Café Night. Last night, the PSs outdid themselves to make the campers feel comfortable selecting people they hadn’t spoken with yet. Each camper had the chance to make about ten new connections over ice cream, hot chocolate, and cookies. It was a big success!
Hike | July 18
We begin our days with a morning gathering which we call “lineup.” We begin by making sure that everyone is accounted for by calling out the names of the bunks and then the campers call back in a humorous way, signifying that their count is complete.
Like most camps, we have our unique traditions. We call the weather report at morning lineup “The Wham.” When we announce the weather predictions, we sing, “Here comes the Wham, here comes the Wham, we’re jamming’ with the Wham in the morning.” Then the weather prediction is read aloud in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. Then the whole camp sings, “That was the Wham, that was the Wham, that was the Wham in the morning.”
Each morning, after bunk clean-up, campers have a chance to join special activities with counselors who want to teach something they really enjoy. This week the campers have had the chance to play volleyball or basketball, make friendship bracelets, learn Yoga and Pilates, explore expressive art and movement, form a drum circle, or study dance with Yoshi, one of the counselors.
Last evening, we had a contest between the camp staff and the campers. The two groups were challenged to answer questions about Seeds of Peace, international history, music, politics, music, famous people and we had a dance-off as well. Sometimes the judges broke down and laughed. Sometimes, we were all amazed at the incredible memories of the contestants. Today the winners were announced and amazingly, it was a tie score!
During the day, yesterday, the PSs took a hiking trip to a local mountain where they enjoyed the view over the ocean. With 25 campers gone, the Camp seemed comparatively quiet. So when the PSs returned, the campers formed a human tunnel to welcome them back to Camp. It didn’t seem like the community we have grown to love without the older campers.
Transience | July 19
We are just three days away from departure day. The campers are beginning to realize that there is no guarantee that they will see any of their new friends from other countries again in their lifetimes. Yesterday at lineup, one of the Camp staff put this in perspective by reading a poem about the value of temporary friends in our lives. The message of this poem was that even short associations with the right people can gives us more wisdom and understanding than we might get from a lifetime association. These two weeks are not a waste of time and effort. What we learn from two weeks at the Seeds of Peace Camp might be the very understandings that will fortify our lives, post Camp.
Yesterday and today, more and more dialogue groups had a chance to try out the climbing walls and high ropes. Some of the campers are glad to try these challenges, but others are frozen with apprehension about being so high off the ground. Most of the time, the campers on the ground are able to urge the person climbing to keep trying until they reach the top. The accomplishment of this goal and others really provides the climbers with new confidence. Some of the climbing requires intensive cooperation between two climbers and creative strategies. All the while, as campers try to find ways of getting to the top, the campers on the ground shout out encouragements: “You have this!” or “Try doing what I did” or “Relax, you are doing very well.”
After dinner, as the sun was going down, we took a picture of the entire Camp community. We stood together in the sunken garden behind the main house of this school campus.
The campers are getting ready for a Talent Show. Many are unaware that Color Games will begin at the end of the show. The two days of Color Games will help us end this session of Camp on a high note.
Wrapping up | July 22
The final three days of Camp were so busy with the Talent Show and Color Games that departure day just seemed to sneak up on us. It seems clear that Camp needs to run longer than two weeks. Human beings need time to settle into a new temporary home and feel comfortable with complete strangers. We were at a new location this summer and it took a lot imagination to “make this place our home.”
We created an atmosphere of caring and fairness, something similar to a family or familiar neighborhood. But the impact of a new setting sometimes makes campers wary and afraid at first. After sleeping in a shared space and interacting all day with people across lines of conflict or division, campers often make one connection with someone from the “other side” to start with, and gradually expands these connections to include others as well. Living together with their bedroom doors open helped recreate a “bunk” atmosphere. This wasn’t difficult because the dorms at this school are quite small.
Most camps in Maine have Color Wars at some point in the summer. We call it Color Games. Our campers have had enough war in their short lives; they don’t need any more war, even if it’s pretend.
This year, Color Games launched right after the Talent Show ended. Counselors had been preparing the introduction of Color Games earlier in the day while the campers were rehearsing for the Talent Show. By that time, it was dark outside as everyone ran toward the “sunken garden” where the campers found out which team—Green or Blue—they would be on. Our Camp Director, Tim Wilson, explained the tradition of Color Games at Seeds of Peace. This helped the campers feel a connection to the generations of Seeds who have participated in Color Games going back to 1993.
Several adjustments to the traditional ways of doing Color Games had to be made. The rope pull was held in the gym, not outside. The running race around the loop on the grounds of the school had four competitors running at once, not the usual two. The variety show was as funny as ever. The campers imitated their counselors in hilarious ways.
The final competition was to memorize a quote by the 13th century Persian poet Rumi. One camper from each team recited the poem by heart to Tim and Bobbie. They were only 30 seconds apart, reciting the poem under great pressure. Just for the record, the Green Team won.
But, everyone won. We had a beautiful two weeks, getting to know and trust each other in a lovely setting. One of the best things about this place is the food service staff. Not only did they provide many meals that were traditional to the camper’s home country, they also provided a vast array of salads and drinks in the dining hall. In fact, when we asked the chef and her staff to come into the dining hall for a thank you, the campers gave them a standing ovation.
Yesterday, Bobbie invited the campers and staff to a Quaker meeting, as she does every session. It is a unifying way to end the Camp. We also had a moving memorial service for the twenty-four Seeds and two staff members who have passed away over the years. Yonaton led the campers and counselors in a “circling walk” holding hands as we drew a tighter circle before naming the people we have lost.
Everyone traveled home today. There were the usual problems with lost luggage or passports, but eventually, everything was straightened out. Busses drove the campers to Portland, Boston, and New York, where they boarded planes home. Next summer, perhaps we will be able to add some more days to their stay with us. We miss them already.