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‘Women want sexual health advice’
Express Tribune (Pakistan)

Dec 4, 2011 / No Comments

LAHORE | Women made up the bulk of visitors at a free medical camp. According to Dr Mahak Mansoor – a gynaecologist who works at Mayo Hospital and was one of the four doctors who volunteered at the camp – said most of them sought advice about reproductive health.

Around 300 people came to the camp, according to the organisers. Free of charge tests for diabetes, calcium and cholesterol levels were also provided.

The camp was set up by the Seeds of Peace, as part of their ‘Change Maker’ programme, in collaboration with the Trust for Education and Development of Deserving Students at The Trust School in Green Town.

Dr Mansoor, said that the women’s interest had highlighted the need for counselling women from rural and impoverished areas about reproductive health. She said that such programmes were essential for incorporating a sense of social responsibility in the youth.

About 10 students from various educational institutes including Beaconhouse School System, Crescent Model School and FC College volunteered at the camp along with 15 members of Seeds of Peace. The young volunteers put up banners and distributed leaflets in the surrounding areas to help create awareness about personal hygiene. They also delivered lectures in Urdu and Punjabi at the camp.

Read Aroosa Shaukat’s article in The Express Tribune ››

Musical Arab-Jewish youth seek the key to coexistence
Christian Science Monitor

May 22, 2013 / No Comments

A Yale University alumnus and veteran of the school’s famed a capella groups has brought his talents to Jerusalem, where he launched an Arab-Jewish youth chorus.

JERUSALEM | The Harlem Shake craze has hit Jerusalem and the Arab and Jewish teens in Micah Hendler’s Jerusalem Youth Chorus want to make their own video. It’s not Mr. Hendler’s preferred music, but the students’ exuberance leaves him little choice.

“All right, if we’re going to make this video we’re going to have to get moving,” he says.

There are plenty of expats living in Jerusalem but Hendler is the only one who started an Arab-Jewish youth chorus five months after graduating college.

Hendler is a former counselor at the Seeds of Peace coexistence camp in Maine, proud alumnus of two a capella groups at Yale – the Duke’s Men and Whiffenpoofs – and a firm believer in the power of music to create communities and empower youth.

Supported by grants from Yale and the Jerusalem Foundation, Hendler moved to Jerusalem after graduating in 2012 to put his ideas into practice – he wrote his senior thesis on the successes and failures of other music-for-peace programs in Israel.

He selected 14 Arab and 14 Jewish students from 80 applicants; together they performed to a packed house at the Jerusalem YMCA Christmas concert two months after their first practice.

He’s trying to avoid two pitfalls of other programs he studied: enabling students to remain negative toward the group as a whole, even as they make friends with representatives of “the other,” or focusing so much on broad dialogue that the students don’t form any close friendships.

Hendler’s three-hour weekly practice includes time for bonding – the Harlem Shake video was preceded by collective giggles – and a 45-minute dialogue run by trained facilitators. The dialogue is strategically placed in the middle of the rehearsal so students don’t come late and miss it, as they did in other programs he studied.

Rudinah, an Arab girl from East Jerusalem, says she didn’t know there would be a dialogue portion before she joined the chorus, but that it’s one of her favorite parts. “The Jewish people here are so cool and friendly,” she says.

Likewise Shifa Woodbridge, a Jew who had never met an Arab before joining the chorus, is equally exuberant.

“It’s my favorite part,” she exclaimed when asked about the dialogue. “I love talking about it. It’s not weird,” she says.

Hendler recognizes that some doubt whether programs like his can make a difference or are simply invigorating those already in support of peace, but points to the first free time the students were given at their second rehearsal when Arabs and Jews spontaneously mingled without prompting as evidence that the program is useful.

“People were hanging out across every possible line, of their own free will. There aren’t that many places in the city, or country, or world really where that happens.”

Read Chelsea B. Sheasley’s article at The Christian Science Monitor ››

6 alumni making a difference for refugees

Jun 7, 2019 / No Comments

June is Refugee Awareness Month, a time to shine a spotlight on the thousands of families who flee from violence and unrest each day, and a time to foster empathy and build support for them in the new communities where they arrive.

Many in our community are working year-round to address the migrant crisis in a myriad of ways. Here are six Seeds of Peace alumni who are making a difference for refugees.

 

Salat (Syracuse Seed, 2012)

Salat was born in a refugee camp in Kenya after his parents escaped the Somali civil war, and lived there for 11 years. When he found out the United Nations had selected his family for resettlement in America, he thought he was headed to heaven on earth. But what Salat discovered upon arriving in the States was a country more hostile than he could have imagined.

“I was treated like a criminal based on my skin color,” he said. “I learned to avoid looking like a Muslim whenever there was an attack on American soil. l was made to feel that coming to America as a refugee who seeks asylum is the worst thing you can be.”

That changed when he came to Camp. “In the dialogue hut, I was given the space to unbottle all of the things I had bottled up over the years,” Salat said. “I was made to feel that I was enough, and that my difference was beautiful. It was the happiest three weeks of my life.”

Now, Salat is paying that experience forward. He is a board member of Refugee and Immigrant Self-Empowerment (RISE), a nonprofit that provides recently resettled Americans in Syracuse with the resources they need to become self-sufficient through employment, education, and economic empowerment. And his upcoming documentary, Leaving Home But Left Behind, chronicles his journey back to Kenya to reunite with his mother after 13 years. Through his experience, the film aims to help others understand what it means to be a refugee in America.

Read Salat’s Seed Story in its entirety ››

 

Lilly (GATHER Fellow, 2018)

Lilly’s connection to the plight of refugees was always personal.

“My parents were from Iran, but I grew up in America,” she said. “So I sometimes felt like I was both a part of and apart from two different worlds. The idea of what unites humanity and what makes us different appeals to me.”

Throughout Seeds of Peace’s GATHER Fellowship, Lilly developed an interactive Minecraft story that follows a young Syrian refugee as she tries to make her way to safety. By putting the player in this character’s shoes—the game begins among family and friends trying to live their daily lives in war-torn Aleppo—Lilly hopes to counteract the often-inflammatory rhetoric around refugees in the West with empathy and understanding.

Read more of our conversation with Lilly ››

 

Avigail (Israeli Seed, 2000)

Avigail has been a fierce defender of human rights for years. She channeled her passion for grassroots organizing into a career as a lawyer specializing in labor law—a role which has seen her advocate for vulnerable groups in Israel such as workers, youth, women, Palestinians, and the LGBT community. As the migrant crisis became more severe, she knew it was her duty to get involved.

“Something very essential that I experienced in Seeds of Peace was to be humble in the face of another person’s life and story. To listen very carefully. To see their pain as my pain, their tragedy as my tragedy as a human being,” she told us.

“It reached a point where we said we just could not be silent bystanders.”

Avigail is one of the co-founders of the International School of Peace (ISOP), an educational initiative just a short drive away from the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos. Headline after headline describes the camp as one of the worst places on earth, but for the 400-some students who fill its classes every day, the ISOP is a sanctuary.

There are no external structures on the island dedicated to education for these refugees. But thanks to the ISOP, these students—many of whom have never been to school before—are now receiving one.

Read about our meeting with Avigail at the ISOP ››

 

Anis (GATHER Fellow, 2018)

As a professor of Music and Politics and a member of the French Embassy’s Cultural Attache, Anis has always been fascinated by the intersection between music education and social change. But after face-to-face experiences with refugee children while volunteering in Greece, he realized there was another way he could put his expertise to use—one that could help those who need it most.

“Refugees are fed and accommodated, but what about their aspirations? Few initiatives exist to rebuild self-esteem, encourage social integration, and inspire hope in the future,” Anis said. “Nearly 28,000 refugee children live in Greece today. They deserve a childhood with confidence and the certainty of belonging.”

That’s why Anis co-founded El Sistema Greece, a program offering free music classes and concert performances to children in Greek refugee camps. These programs are also integrated with migrants and Greek citizens to foster social inclusion.

El Sistema Greece began with two dozen children in a single camp outside Athens. Now, the program has over 500 participants in camps across the country.

“On stage,” Anis told us, “everyone is united in a desire to excel, and we see the potential of a person, rather than a threat. These young artists are adding value to the community, not disrupting it … We are creating a community based on solidarity, hard work, and being part of a team.”

Read our alumni profile of Anis ››

 

Pooja (GATHER Fellow, 2018)

Pooja is based in India, and runs her own program targeted to refugee youth. In 2015, she saw an image of a Syrian boy’s body washed ashore in Greece. She expected the disturbing scene to be a galvanizing moment, only to find it met with indifference by those around her. So she decided to take change into her own hands.

That year, she founded Letters of Love, an organization that connects children in refugee camps with pen pals to foster empathy, connection, and emotional support. “The core idea of my work,” she explained, “is to shake the inertia of apathy people have about grave humanitarian issues. To inspire others to help make a difference in this daunting crisis, we must first inspire empathy.”

Since then, Letters of Love has sent over 33,000 letters to Syrian, Iraqi, Palestinian, Yazidi, and Rohingya refugee children, and built a network of over 8,000 student ambassadors working to foster empathy in their schools and communities.

Learn more about Pooja’s work ››

 

Abu Tareq (Palestinian Delegation Leader, 2007)

Abu Tareq views education as a way for people to transform the world around them. Earlier in his career, he was a principal at schools throughout the West Bank. He watched the students around him upend narratives of what their lives should look like.

Now, Abu Tareq operates an education center for children at his home in the al-Arroub refugee camp, where he has emerged as a community leader—and an emissary of peace. His program has run in the winter and summer in al-Arroub for years, providing youth with conflict mediation and communication skills, as well as helping them overcome trauma and develop resilience.

In al-Arroub, having a place for children to go when school is out can be the difference between life and death. “The victims [of the conflict] are mostly kids,” he explained. “They think throwing stones at settlers is a kind of play. But the result can be the loss of their lives, for nothing. It’s a very unuseful way to ask for freedom, for the right to live and travel out of the camp.”

For so many children, Abu Tareq’s program is a respite from the harsh realities of their circumstances. “The students are free to dance, to play, to move freely,” he said. “This is my aim: to provide a little light in such big darkness.”

Hear Abu Tareq’s story on INSPIRED, our audio documentary series:

Do you know of any alumni we didn’t include who deserve a spotlight? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

What We’re Reading: Pride Month

Jun 25, 2019 / No Comments

Fifty years ago this month, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. The landmark moment ignited long-simmering tensions that would soon spread to demonstrations throughout the country, marking the beginning of the modern gay rights movement in the United States.

June is Pride Month in the United States, commemorating Stonewall and celebrating the contributions of LGBTQIA+ people to society, not just in the US, but around the world. So this month, we are highlighting works that explore and build understanding toward issues related to this community. Here’s what our staff have been reading:

Sister Outsider, by Audre Lorde
At the heart of this collection of Lorde’s most powerful essays and speeches is her identity and experiences as a black queer woman. She was one of the first activists and writers to engage with the subject of intersectionality, and the theme plays a major role in Sister Outsider. Through a blend of personal stories and her unique version of activism, Lorde tackles the issues of sexism, homophobia, classism, and ageism, arguing for a society that not only is inclusive, but also celebrates individual differences. What I personally find most inspiring about Sister Outsider is Lorde’s refusal to apologize—for her identity, for her beliefs, for her anger at the status quo. This beautifully written collection of shorter pieces makes for a relatively quick and easy read, but if you only have time for one or two, I suggest “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House” and “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” — Molly Gump, Development Intern

Sister Outsider is a great book for many reasons, but one of my favorites is how relevant it is to dialogue. It engages with power, anger, identity, and emotion, and not only does Lorde tell her story as a queer women of color—that in and of itself is a radical act—but it addresses how we navigate power in dialogue. — Kiran Thadhani, Director of Global Programs

The Great Believers, by Rebecca Makkai
This time machine of a book, which chronicles the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic in Chicago, brought back memories that were somewhat at a distance from the life I led in the mid-to-late 80s. I didn’t know anybody who was gay when I was in high school. Not that homosexuality didn’t exist amongst teens in Miami. Rather, people were still closeted. I look at schools today, at my own kids’ peers and their understanding of what it means to be human, and I’m left thinking that we’ve progressed so much in 30 years. Yes, there are still shameful things happening today, but they stand out as shameful against a society that has become infinitely more accepting of the many ways people love and live. And that gives me hope for what can be 30 years from now, for the LGBT community, as well as other groups that are still marginalized and underrepresented, undervalued. The arc of justice … keep bending. — Deb Levy, Director of Communications

Against Equality: Queer Revolution, Not Mere Inclusion, edited by Ryan Conrad
Against Equality is a collection of essays and articles written by queer activists and scholars that challenges us to think about what queer liberation actually looks like. Is it marriage and military service and hate crime laws? These authors say no. Instead, they point to the ways in which these goals reinforce the power of marriage, the military, and the prison system, when what we ought to be doing is removing these oppressive structures from our lives. This collection is split into three sections which deal with these exact goals of the gay rights movement. The authors in this book are not interested in a straight world where we are included. They are interested in a queer world, a free world, where people do no have to look or act straight in order to be free. This is an excellent introduction to leftist queer thought and offers some history of how the radical queer liberation movement became the assimilationist gay rights movement in the US. The authors in this book are courageous in their rejection of what straight society has deemed good and respectable, and deeply inspiring in their commitment to the freedom of our community. — Greg Barker, Manager of Facilitation Programs

Jughead Vol. 1-2, by Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson; Ryan North and Derek Charm
In 2015, the entire Archie Comics line was rebooted. Jughead, best friend of the eponymous Archie, was revealed to be asexual. One year later, the character received his own spinoff, which explored something truly remarkable about this development: the radical normalcy of it all. In these stories, Jughead is an ordinary teenager doing ordinary things (well, for the world of Riverdale, at least). His asexuality, as with the sexual orientation of his gay classmate Kevin, is beyond simply being accepted by his peers—to them, it’s a complete non-issue. Even more, Jughead is laconic and detached … he’s the cool kid of Riverdale High. Many kids don’t know what asexuality is or that it could be a possibility for them, much less that it’s an entire queer identity of its own. What makes Jughead a milestone is how it extends that representation to an all-ages title, where it’s even more important that readers can see themselves in what they’re reading. — Chris Luggiero, Communications Associate

The Argonauts, by Maggie Nelson
Like the people it portrays, The Argonauts defies easy classification. Part memoir, part work of literary criticism—Maggie Nelson calls her writing “autotheory” early in the book—this genre-bending story “is an intimate portrayal of the complexities and joys of (queer) family making.” At its core is the author’s love for, and relationship with, a genderfluid person. As Nelson’s pregnancy and the process of motherhood brings her on a journey of self-discovery, her partner embarks on his own, undergoing testosterone therapy and eventually gender confirmation surgery. In her review for The Los Angeles Times, Sara Marcus writes that The Argonauts comes “away and back again to central questions about deviance and normalcy, family-making and love,” asking, “How does anyone decide what’s normal and what’s radical? What kinds of experience do we close ourselves off to when we think we already know?” — Mirna Ansari, Middle East Programs Coordinator

Tomorrow Will Be Different, by Sarah McBride
At 22, Sarah McBride came out as trans in her college’s student newspaper. One year later, she successfully fought against employment and housing discrimination based on gender identity in Delaware, advocating in the face of national hostility. Upon signing the Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Act of 2013 into law, the governor thanked her personally for her efforts. In Tomorrow Will Be Different, McBride tells her entire story, from getting engaged in politics years before her transition to becoming the first openly trans woman to speak at a major US political convention in 2016. She speaks on both the progress of, and challenges faced by, the trans community with a clear-eyed optimism and enthusiasm many of our leaders could learn from. Even the death of her husband from cancer four days after their marriage—a saga she covers in heartbreaking detail—fails to bring her down into the cynicism that marks our politics today. Tomorrow Will Be Different is also remarkable for its portrait of youth activism, and I hope her story provides a roadmap for other young leaders looking to get involved in the issues they care about. — Eliza O’Neil, US/UK Programs Manager

What would you add to this list? Any recommendations for future editions of What We’re Reading? Let us know in the comments below, or send your picks to lori@seedsofpeace.org.

Planting Seeds of Peace in Miami
Miami Herald

Jul 14, 2016 / No Comments

Seeds of Peace bridges cultural divisions between teens from Middle East and U.S. at summer camp in Maine

Miami-raised former counselor organizing first Miami events to support the group

Leaders say Seeds’ efforts more important than ever at time of heightened division in U.S. and beyond

At a time when social division and turmoil are rising in the United States, a summer camp that bridges seemingly intractable divisions between teens of different religions and races has become newly relevant.

Called Seeds of Peace, it is a program in Maine that has brought together young Israelis and Palestinians, as well as teenagers from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the Balkans and the United States, for 23 years.

This summer, Seeds of Peace is expanding its U.S. program to add teens from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City to those it has long hosted from Maine and upstate New York, aiming to inculcate empathy and understanding as the country struggles with cultural and political discord that seems more bitter than anything seen here in decades.

And this week a young Miamian who reconciled his own divided background by working as a counselor at the camp is organizing the first Seeds of Peace events in Miami.

Misha Mehrel, 26, has put together a stand-up comedy night in Wynwood on July 20 and a walk across the Venetian Causeway on July 23. His hope is to raise awareness of and as much money as possible for a program that he says can be transformative.

“These kids are put into an environment of love, encouragement, challenge that has pushed them to . . . hopefully make decisions to grow and bond instead of to hate,” Mehrel says. “It shows you that if they can do this, I can.”

The family settled in Miami when Mehrel was 3. Several years ago he seemed well on his way to a successful film career in New York, working as an editor and production assistant for the likes of HBO and director Baz Luhrmann, when he found himself longing to do something more substantial and fulfilling. He decided to follow his older sister, who had been a counselor at the Seeds camp.

“Seeds was a way to get out of this image-conscious, career-driven life I was living and doing something that was less about me,” Mehrel says. “But I think I was also attracted to the whole concept because of the division in myself.”

Overcoming division is the mission of Seeds of Peace, which was launched by journalist and writer John Wallach in 1993, bringing 46 teens from Israel, Palestine, Egypt and the United States to Otisfield, Maine. The project got an immediate burst of attention when then-President Bill Clinton invited the first campers to the signing of the Oslo Peace Accords, where they posed for photos with Israeli leader Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

The program mixes traditional summer camp activities like sailing and soccer with intensive group talk sessions in which the teens work through their differences and anger. They play on Frisbee teams together, and kids from opposite sides of warring adult conflicts help each other through risky trust-building exercises in which an Israeli teen might help his blindfolded Palestinian counterpart climb a rock wall or cross a high wire.

“The idea is to give these kids a chance to make up their own minds, teach them leadership skills and how to be their own person, instead of another cog in the narrative they’ve been fed for years,” Mehrel says.

In 2000, spurred by requests from local education leaders, the camp started a second program for teenagers from Maine, which is overwhelmingly white and Christian, and their counterparts from African, Asian and Muslim refugee families from places like Somalia and Cambodia who were being placed in Maine by a federal government program. Later they added kids from Syracuse, New York, a once predominantly white community with a growing minority and immigrant population.

“There were a lot of tensions with the instant diversity,” says Eric Kapenga, communications director for Seeds of Peace. “It was almost the same program as for students from the Middle East.” There were fraught dialogues about race, religion, gender, sexuality and immigration. One girl from a small town in northern Maine wrote that every time she saw a Muslim girl in a hijab she was afraid, because she only saw violent Muslim terrorists on TV. A Somalian girl who had come to Syracuse at age 12 was traumatized by years of bullying.

Over the past two years, the growth of racial tensions, with the furor over police violence and the Black Lives Matter movement, and an election season marked by angry debates over race, immigration, Muslims, and LGBTQ rights, led Seeds of Peace to expand its American session to teens from larger cities beyond Maine and Syracuse.

“For too long as Americans we’ve said we don’t have conflict here,” says Sarah Brajtbord, who manages Seeds of Peace’s U.S.-based programs. “The reality is we live in communities deeply divided by conflict. . . . We need to be bringing people together and engaging each other.”

“Each camper has their own issues, their own stories, their own experiences. . . . It’s raising those questions, and being able to answer them. Who am I? Who are you? Who are we collectively? How do these different parts of us look when we come together?”

Jennifer Dertouzos, a close friend of Mehrel’s family and a dedicated volunteer for social causes who is co-organizing the Miami Seeds events, says the violent events of this summer such as the massacre in Orlando, the killing of black men by police in Baton Rouge and Minnesota and the sniper attack on police in Dallas have made people sympathetic to their efforts. Trinity Cathedral, located at the foot of the Venetian Causeway, is allowing them to gather in its parking lot for free before Saturday’s walk, and Wynwood Cafe is hosting the comedy night for a minimal fee. Local businesses like Eternity Coffee Roasters, 305 Yoga, iRun and Oh! Granola are providing coupons, free classes and products for walk participants.

“It’s good timing because people want to channel their energy toward peace or the greater good,” Dertouzos says. “It’s of the moment.”

This difficult moment also makes the struggle that Seeds of Peace faces a daunting one. As conflict has grown in the Middle East, the group faces new obstacles in bringing teens from those areas; the Hamas government in Gaza, for instance, does not assist with placing Palestinian campers the way previous administrations did. This summer’s expanded American session is small, with just 27 kids from the larger cities, out of a total of 127. And Mehrel, after spending the past two years in Miami, is taking a teaching job in Connecticut in August, leaving future Miami efforts on the group’s behalf in doubt.

But Brajtbord insists their endeavors are more important than ever.

“Conflict is a moment either for breakdown or breakthrough,” she says. “Now is the time to stop talking about doing things and start trying to do them. . . . It’s only going to get worse as the election unfolds. So why should we not try to do this now?”

And she takes reassurance from the teenage Seeds the camp nourishes each summer.

“They have the courage to do what adults and political leaders are not doing — to engage with one another, confront differences and accept it as a natural part of who we are and what our country is,” Brajtbord says. “That not only gives hope but fuels change.”

Read Jordan Levin’s article at the Miami Herald »
 

Seeds of Peace | Newsletter

May 1, 2008 / No Comments

Graduate Seed leaders making an impact

Adi Blutner

Adi Blutner, Israeli Seed | Seeds of Peace has helped me discover the possibilities and importance of political and social action. I learned of different aspects of the Middle East conflict through friendships and found a whole new reality which I wasn’t aware of.

Through the years I have participated in a number of meaningful programs for older Seeds. One of them was a facilitation course for Israelis & Palestinians, through which I had a chance to work as a facilitator and re-experience from an adult perspective the uniqueness of the International Conflict Resolution Camp. These programs allowed me to establish real partnerships, friendships and collaboration with Palestinian colleagues and friends that have become an important part of my life today.

I currently study law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and work as a facilitator inside the Jewish-Israeli society and with bi-national groups. A group of facilitators that I worked with helped me realize once more how dialogue can create change in people, how interaction influences people’s views of the conflict and of their role in it. Both my studies and my work are choices that were made following different SOP experiences and are tools for creating social and political change in this region.

Knowing that we are a whole group of professionals from both sides who have faith in this tool motivates me to continue working and learning in this field. I truly believe that by creating opportunities for more people to meet, interact, discuss their differences and break down cultural and political barriers we, stand a chance of influencing the current situation.

Lama Mashni

Lama Mashni, Palestinian Seed | Seeds of Peace has introduced me to wider opportunities in life; it has opened doors that otherwise I thought would have been closed. Through Seeds, I’ve learned more about our conflict, including how people around the world view it, and the common stereotypes associated with it.

Camp helped me realize that my work was not only limited to promoting peace in my society, but also portraying our cause to others, making it more personal for people to relate to. It has also helped me discover much about my own abilities and interests. In the past few years, I’ve worked for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, a South African radio station project that is attempting the same reconciliation it helped achieve at the fall of Apartheid, and a Palestinian English-language newspaper.

I have been active in Seeds of Peace since 1999 and have participated in different programs designed for older Seeds. Among these was a course in Conflict Management & Mediation—my first experience in working in the field of coexistence. The course made me re-think my career options. After I realized I wanted to continue on this path, I joined the Facilitation Course offered by Seeds of Peace, and last year had the privilege of working with an Israeli partner to run two dialogue groups at the SOP camp in Maine.

For several reasons, it wasn’t always easy to keep in touch with Israelis from Seeds of Peace. Still, I have sustained friendships that I view as important in my life. The anathema of “normalization” in Palestinian society has made it difficult to explain my choice of maintaining relationships with Israelis to my fellow Palestinians. However, being convinced of the importance of coexistence, I was able to maintain friendships on both sides. I also work closely with Israeli facilitators, and I cherish those partnerships.

Seeds in Jordan partner for peace

Forty-four Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian and American Seeds arrived in Aqaba, Jordan, in April for a four-day summit to launch a new Seeds network for those who have graduated college and are moving ahead with professional careers. The summit opened with presentations from representatives of the Jordanian government as well as the Israeli and Palestinian Ambassadors to Jordan.

Several invited speakers presented their assessments of Jordanian-Palestinian-Israeli regional cooperation. Dr. Bilal Bashir, Deputy Chief Commissioner of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, welcomed Seeds of Peace to Aqaba. Dr. Bashir, who is also the Commissioner for Environmental Regulations and Enforcement, spoke about plans to join the Red and Dead Seas by canal as a means of saving the Dead Sea, where water levels have declined dramatically in recent years. He also addressed some of the environmental challenges this project poses for the region. Ambassador Jacob Rosen of Israel spoke about economic cooperation with Jordan and took a number of questions about visa issuance to Jordanians and Egyptians. Mr. Mohammed Abu Laban represented the Palestinian Ambassador to Jordan and spoke about the impediments that the Israeli occupation places in the way of Palestinian participation in regional projects.

Seed participant Adham shared his experience of the difficulties particular to Palestinian businessmen. Ha’aretz reporter Akiva Eldar and CNN producer Nidal Rafe shared their experience as professional journalists, addressing the question of how to interest the media in covering positive, peace-promoting events. Hagai Agmon-Snir of the Jerusalem Intercultural Center and Khaled Salim of Taaoun spoke about community organizing. They were followed by presentations from a group of Seeds speakers.

Seeds visit Capitol Hill

Seeds of Peace hosted a “Seeds Day” on Capitol Hill on April 30th during which they met with several Members of Congress to brief them about our current activities and express appreciation for their continued support. Seeds spoke about their experiences and current work with various members of the House and Senate including Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), Congressman Tom Allen (R-ME), and Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). They also met with senior staff from the offices of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Senator John Kerry (D-MA), and Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA). The Senate unanimously passed S.Res.537 on April 28th. The House is expected to pass H.Con.Res.337 shortly.

In honor of SOP, Senator Susan Collins said: “Seeds of Peace is able to bridge borders and foster peace in the midst of longstanding global conflicts. Perhaps a decade from now, one of the thousands of Seeds of Peace alumni will be in a decision-making position in his or her home country, and they will remember their time at a special summer camp in Maine where the ‘seeds of peace’ blossom every year.”

To cap off the day, Seeds of Peace hosted a reception for supporters on Capitol Hill and was grateful for the attendance of several Members of Congress and officials from a number of federal agencies including the U.S Department of State.

Seeds bringing Jerusalem together

About fifty Israelis and Palestinians from Jerusalem gathered on April 13th for ‘Seeds Café,’ a monthly gathering hosted by Seeds of Peace through the support of the U.S State Department. Two speakers addressed the issue of Women and Leadership: Naomi Chazan, former member of the Israeli Knesset, and Lily Habash, founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of a nonprofit, PARTNERS. Both spoke about the leadership roles women now play in politics, the peace process and education in Israeli and Palestinian societies. They addressed the critical role Seeds of Peace plays in empowering young people, especially women, to play a leadership role in society.

Upcoming Gala

Please join us at the Annual Gala with UN Amb. Zalmay Khalilzad on May 15th at The Plaza Hotel in NYC. Featured guests will include peace activist Yoko Ono, CBS The Early Show’s Harry Smith, and Seeds leaders from around the world.
 
 
Donate

To make a tax-deductible contribution to Seeds of Peace, click here.

Seed Stories: Redefining the “truth”

Jul 19, 2019 / No Comments

I’ve been a writer all my life. Since as long as I could remember, I’ve always turned to putting pen to paper when I want to make sense of things, or to capture a memory.

It wasn’t a surprise, then, when I found myself on the staff for our school magazine. I was assigned covering politics, and very early on in my research, would already form opinions. These were important ideas that I was putting forward, and I took on the role of the vigilante, seemingly educating my classmates on issues I had only just begun to comprehend. It was at Seeds of Peace where it dawned on me that the true essence of journalism is to tell a story, one in which there are always two sides. For years what I’d been writing was merely an opinion, but it wasn’t up to me to control the narrative. It was simply to show both sides for what they truly are.

I know we’re more inclined to believe what we see, than what we read or hear about. I wish you could have seen what I saw—an Israeli and a Palestinian compromise to split the last brownie, Pakistanis carry an American on their shoulders after he won his soccer game, an entire tricontinental army of girls band together to help me figure out how to wear a sari.

I witnessed dialogues get out of hand, with raw anger, bitterness and exasperation bubbling to the surface daily. Accusations were hurled from teenagers who demanded answerability for losses and deaths they should never have had to face; from the teenagers sitting across from them also posing the same questions.

But amidst the pain and confusion, I also witnessed something miraculous: understanding dawned in the place of ignorance, belief systems shattered and rebuilt anew, redefinitions of national pride.

It was a change perceivable in the smallest of instances—in the awe of Indians and Pakistanis realizing they could flawlessly converse in two separate national languages, in an American’s love for Bollywood, and a Palestinian’s passion for football.

There is a moment at Camp where every Seed realizes that the issues we face are not so black and white. There is no right and wrong side in this messy equation, and there are more factors and elements at play than either side could ever fathom.

It’s just about the same time when they discover that at the crux of the situation, there lies a humanity to which we all relate. They find a piece of themselves in the “enemy,” a reflection of their own deepest fears, anger, and sadness, looking back at them from the “other side.”

They realize the echoes of generations past which rang through their mind should be honored, but also challenged. Change begins with a change in mindset, not a change in policy. At Seeds of Peace we say, “Governments negotiate treaties; people negotiate peace.”

There are some out there still resistant to this message. They haven’t seen what I’ve seen, and haven’t had the privilege of glimpsing the utopia in which I lived for one month, all those 8 years ago. I had one particularly persistent friend who insisted that he knew “the truth.” He threw statistics and history my way, backing up his claims that I’d fraternized with the enemy, and that what I’d seen was merely an illusion of peace. He tried to convince me that what I witnessed was merely a group of teenagers playing pretend, disregarding and manipulating the reality of the matter.

He couldn’t change my mind, and I couldn’t change his. But I did make him question the narrative that was ingrained in us both growing up in India. I instilled a seed of doubt, and I watched it grow within him. He still doesn’t believe that peace between our two countries is ever a possibility, but he understands that distinction between the citizens and their government. He no longer propagates the agenda that all Pakistanis are extremists or terrorists. He feels empathy for Pakistanis, for the poverty and plights that third world countries face, just like the ones he sees on our streets every day.

Seeds of Peace is more than a community. It’s a family that discovered The Way Life Could Be. Seeds are strangers turned brothers and sisters, generations of people who broke the cycle of blind hatred, learned to distinguish stereotypes from truths, and forged relationships with the unlikeliest of peers. To be a Seed is to be a changemaker, and none of us can do that alone. Every time I faltered in my belief, or felt the shadow of hesitation creep in, it has always been met with a roaring enthusiasm from Seeds around the world, both who had come to Camp with me, and from the generations before and after, that brought me back home.

At Seeds of Peace, we have the Field—which exists “beyond the ideas of wrong-doing and right-doing”—where people from all across the world, who’ve lived vastly different lives and known different truths, come together. It was on this field where I walked with my Pakistani best friend, our arms linked, as we said goodbye on our last night at Camp. I haven’t seen her since then, all those years ago, but I still know who she is. I’ve known the “enemy,” understood and loved her in what was both the best and worst of times, and that changed my life.

Alumni Profile: Alina
Paving the way for women in the security sector

Sep 13, 2018 / No Comments

Our alumni are working in ways small and large to make an impact in their communities. This “Alumni Profiles” blog series will feature some of our over 7,000 changemakers in 27 countries around the world who are working to transform conflict.

At Seeds of Peace, we equip leaders with the skills and relationships needed to accelerate the social, economic, and political changes essential for peace.

Seeds of Peace’s 2016 GATHER Fellow Alina is a perfect example. Ms. Catt, the organization she developed as part of her GATHER cohort, works to accelerate gender equality in the field of international security. In honor of Ms. Catt’s launch, we spoke with Alina about the new organization, as well as the change she hopes to bring to her community.

Seeds of Peace: Can you tell us about Ms. Catt and how you’re working to close the gender gap in international security?

Alina: Ms. Catt [named for the American suffragette Carrie Chapman Catt] aims to ​strengthen the security leadership pipeline by empowering current and future female leaders in realms of international security (e.g. public policy, strategy and economics). If we want see leadership excel, we must fully incorporate women into all global security efforts—as was recommended in UN Security Council Resolution 1325 back in October, 2000. Ms. Catt implements this resolution in non-Western conflict countries.

Seeds of Peace: Inclusive Security’s 2015 study found that when women are included in peace processes, the agreement made is 20 percent likelier to last at least two years and 35 percent likelier to last at least 15 years. Why do you think that is?

Alina: For one, research shows that women tend to seek long-term, stable gains over short-term gains. For example, the Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus observed in his micro-lending ventures in Bangladesh that women used small loans to invest in livestock or plants, which could then provide food or a steady source of income, while men often used their funds on luxuries or snacks. The family/community-first approach adopted by women is more likely to create peace (long-term stability) over war (short-term gains).

Secondly, incorporating women and gender perspectives into male-dominated fields brings in new and innovative perspectives to the challenges at hand, allowing for a stronger pipeline—from research to policy, theoretical frameworks to implementation, negotiations to agreements.

And finally, women have more to lose in war, as shown in research conducted by the United Nations: “Women and girls suffered disproportionately during and after war, as existing inequalities were magnified, and social networks broke down, making them more vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation.”

Seeds of Peace: What advice do you have for women who are looking to become leaders in male-dominated fields or societies?

Alina: I believe that women must adopt two simultaneous strategies: focusing on oneself and focusing on the currently male-dominated environment.

Madeleine Albright once said, “there’s plenty of room in the world for mediocre men, but there is no room for mediocre women.” If we want to sit at the negotiation table, we must strive to be the best and the brightest while proactively leaning In. While we do so, we must not forget to help our fellow female colleagues be their best, allowing us to leverage our collective power.

Simultaneously, we should strive to create mutually beneficial, interdependent relationships with the men in our field, as equals. While women have a lot to gain, men seem to think they are only losing. However, this is not what the data shows us.

Seeds of Peace: Can you expand on that?

For one, a McKinsey Global Institute report from 2015 found that women’s equality in the workforce can add $12 trillion to global growth. Furthermore, as the Inclusive Security research showcases, peace agreements last longer when women are included in the peace processes.

These mutual benefits for men and women are why Ms. Catt focuses on fully incorporating women and gender perspectives into all global security efforts, especially in conflict countries in the global south. Carrie Chapman Catt once said, “In the adjustment of the new order of things, we women demand an equal voice; we shall accept nothing less.” I believe it’s not only we, women, but also men who demand nothing less than an equal voice for women.

United for change: Kids4Peace joins Seeds of Peace

Sep 16, 2020 / No Comments

We are proud to announce that Kids4Peace, a global interfaith youth movement, is now a part of the Seeds of Peace community.

Founded in Jerusalem in 2002, Kids4Peace has operated interfaith dialogue and community-based programs in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe, with a particular focus on middle school youth. The integration was officially initiated this summer with the appointment of Kids4Peace Executive Director Josh Thomas as the new Executive Director of Seeds of Peace.

With common core values and objectives, Kids4Peace and Seeds of Peace will now be able to provide opportunities for more youth to begin sharing their voices at a younger age, as well as to create a pipeline of well-prepared participants for advanced leadership programs. By pooling our expertise, resources, and energies, we will not only expand our impact, but also define a pathway for others.

We believe this teamwork is especially important for our historic work in the Middle East, where the Israeli-Palestinian peacebuilding field faces a challenging moment that requires bold ideas and fresh approaches.

“We at The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) are delighted to see two of our best-in-class members—each with complementary, unique strengths—joining to create a whole that is much more than just the sum of its constituent parts. It is a challenging time for our field, but the Seeds of Peace-Kids4Peace integration is a demonstration of how our members can adapt to these circumstances, and emerge on the other side stronger, more efficient, and with the capacity necessary to catalyze real, systemic change for the Israelis and Palestinians they serve.” — John Lyndon, Executive Director, The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP)

Learn more about our programs, find ways to get involved, or stay updated on the latest from Seeds of Peace.

International summer camp in Otisfield hosts only Maine kids for the first time | Portland Press Herald

Aug 2, 2021 / No Comments

By Gillian Graham

OTISFIELD | On their first morning of camp, 70 teenagers wearing matching blue and green Seeds of Peace sweatshirts gathered on the field where more than 7,000 campers before them have come from across the globe to talk about deep divides and how to find common ground.

But this summer, for the first time in its 28-year history, the camp is devoting a session exclusively to teens from Maine.

Originally created to bring together Palestinian and Israeli teenagers to seek common ground, Seeds of Peace has expanded over the years to include other Middle Eastern countries and teenagers from the United States. But the pandemic kept the camp in Otisfield closed last year, and it’s still not possible for international students to travel to Maine because of COVID travel restrictions.

Campers and counselors at Seeds of Peace approach the field for opening ceremonies on Monday. Campers will explore the deep divides in American society, including race, religion and political differences, while developing the skills and confidence to address conflicts in their own schools and communities. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

“They come from across the state, from urban and rural areas, and a variety of backgrounds. We have New Mainers and people whose families have been here for generations,” said Josh Thomas, the executive director. “We’re bringing young leaders together across deep divides. This a chance to have the conversations that are hard to have in everyday life.”

Read the rest of Gillian Graham’s story and view Shawn Patrick Ouellette’s photos at The Portland Press Herald ››