What’s a typical “day in the life” at Camp?
Campers participate in different activities each day, all intended to be fun and meaningful. During any given activity block, campers could be playing team sports like soccer, basketball, and football, doing arts & crafts, performance arts and dance, gardening, and more. There are also dialogue, community-building, and group leadership challenges throughout every week.
Sample Daily Schedule
SAMPLE CAMP DAILY SCHEDULE
7:30 a.m.: Wakeup Bell
8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
10 a.m.: Activity or Dialogue
11 a.m.: Activity or Dialogue
12:30 p.m.: Lunch
1 p.m.: Activity or rest time
3:30 p.m.: Activity or Dialogue
5:15 p.m.: Snack
5:30 p.m.: Community Action
6:30 p.m.: Dinner
7:30 p.m.: Free Choice activity
8 p.m.: Evening Special Activity
10 p.m.: Quiet time
What is the food like at Camp?
The dining hall provides all our meals at Camp. There is always a hot option (like pizza, pasta, tacos, chicken), a vegetarian option, and a salad bar. Kosher and Halal meals are available for those who require them.
What if I need support while I am at Camp?
In addition to our wonderful counselors, campers have many adult supports available at Camp. These include facilitators, activity leads, the Camp leadership team, and a medical nurse who is available to campers around the clock. Campers will be routinely encouraged to seek out the support they need to have a meaningful summer experience.
If you have questions about allergies, dietary needs, continuing therapy at Camp or how we can help support you, email us at camp@seedsofpeace.org.
What is the weather like at Camp?
New Mexico summers in the mountains are usually sunny and beautiful, warm (84°F/29°C) during the day and chilly (55°F/13°C) at night. In late July, we enter the monsoon season. This means that we can sometimes see late afternoon spurts of rain that usually last about 30 minutes, just long enough to cool off the temperatures.
What should I pack?
Each camper will receive five Camp T-shirts and two sweatshirts to wear when they arrive. They will also receive a linen bag for laundry services that goes out once per week and is returned the next day. Campers are also provided with bedding and towels.
Participants will receive a full packing list prior to Camp to make sure they have everything they will need. If you need any assistance purchasing or finding items on our detailed packing list, email us at camp@seedsofpeace.org.
What are the Camp accommodations like?
Dorm rooms can accommodate between 2-3 people, and showers are in a different building or (at the end of the hall) the dorm floors are separated by gender.
You should expect to share space in a room with other campers from different racial, religious, or political backgrounds from you, who live in a different region, or who have a different lived experience than you. In addition to sleeping in the same room, you will take part in some Camp activities together.
Where are eligible campers from?
Students who will be 14-17 years old this summer and who are from India, Pakistan, the United States, or the United Kingdom.
We work hard to bring representative cohorts of youth to Camp to ensure that all youth have support and community both during their time at Camp, and when they return home to implement action-oriented activities and projects.
Do I need to speak English to come to Camp?
All campers must have a basic level of conversational English. We do not expect youth to be fluent and have bilingual staff who are able to support in translation as needed.
How can I stay in touch with my loved ones while at Camp?
Family and friends can email campers; emails will be printed out and delivered. Campers will not be able to reply back to the emails, however.
While campers will not have their phones, we will provide opportunities to call home. Parents and guardians will receive detailed information on communication with campers, including emergency contact information.
Are there religious services or opportunities for prayer?
On Fridays, Camp offers Muslim services in the afternoon and Jewish services in the evening. On Sundays, group Protestant and Catholic services are available. We also have the opportunity for observation of other services (such as Hindu and Zoroastrian services), depending on campers’ needs each session.
Campers may be excused briefly from any given activity during the day for prayer with the approval of the Camp staff leading that activity, but must return promptly to the activity after they finish. Camp has a designated prayer space onsite with prayer mats and timers available for camper and staff use.
What is a dialogue session?
Dialogue is a youth-led discussion where campers explore topics like identity, power, privilege, and community, and share with a supportive group their different lived experiences. Campers remain in the same dialogue group with two adult facilitators for the duration of the Camp session. Facilitators are guides and are there to structure the process to ensure it is honest, meaningful, challenging, and trauma-informed.
The purpose of dialogue is not to come to consensus or agreement, but to more deeply understand the differences that each individual brings, to listen and to be heard, and to learn something new about oneself and others. Participants leave the dialogue experience with the courage, curiosity, and communication skills needed to engage others back home and throughout their lives in difficult or complex conversations.
What is the Community Action program?
Community Action is an opportunity for campers to take what they have learned at Camp—through dialogue and leadership skills building, to build a new kind of community across lines of difference when they return home.
What are your COVID protocols, and how will I need to prepare to attend Camp in person safely?
Seeds of Peace strives to ensure a safe environment for all campers and staff. As part of this safety, we require all those who attend Camp, youth and adults, to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We understand that access to vaccines can vary and we strive to work with everyone to ensure you have all the support and information that you need.
If a participant is unable to receive the vaccination due to medical or religious reasons, contact camp@seedsofpeace.org to discuss whether any reasonable accommodation can be made.
Please note Seeds of Peace follows the isolation guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which are subject to change.
Valid Vaccines
This list includes vaccines considered effective and safe by WHO.
Pfizer-BioNTech
Ages 6+
Bivalent Booster
Moderna
Ages 6+
Bivalent Booster
Covaxin and Corbevax
What is the cost of Camp?
The actual cost for the program is $6,000 and includes flights, accommodation, transportation to and from Camp, COVID testing fees, and meals. Some regions have subsidized fees.
Participants can apply for a scholarship once accepted to the program.
Seeds of Peace works hard throughout the year to raise money to support this program and ensure that cost does not prevent any applicant from participating who is the right fit. While we cannot guarantee scholarships, we do our best to ensure that no selected student will be turned away due to financial reasons.
How does the program continue after Camp is over?
Seeds of Peace is a leadership development organization that runs multi-year programs rooted in each community from which youth come. When youth depart Camp, they will be joining a global community of over 8,000 changemakers and will have access to our year-round suite of programs and community-wide opportunities.
Youth attending Camp in New Mexico will focus on projects and initiatives they will enact once they return back home. Seeds of Peace will continue to run rich and rigorous virtual and in-person programs (depending on youth location) that support them in these efforts.
Throughout each school year, Seeds of Peace runs several programs available to youth, including regular multinational dialogues with youth from around the world, and certification programs in dialogue, leadership, and action-taking. While these programs are not mandatory, youth attending Camp should prepare to continue their engagement with Seeds of Peace far beyond the Camp experience.