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Afghan Seeds discuss how to make positive contributions in their society

Feb 21, 2014 / No Comments

KABUL | Afghan Seeds came together February 21 for a “Be the Change” Workshop in Kabul.

The 11 participants explored serious challenges facing Afghanistan—from illiteracy to corruption, unemployment, poverty and human rights abuses—and strategized ways to they might contribute to addressing them.

The resulting objectives will now be used by Seeds of Peace as a road map for planning future activities in Afghanistan.

The Seeds also explored their individual and collective identities, and discussed the challenges they face as Afghan Seeds, approaching these topics through interactive exercises and small group activities.
 
BE THE CHANGE

Seeds of Peace community in Middle East connect over Ramadan iftar dinners

Jun 15, 2018 / No Comments

JERUSALEM | In a month dedicated to reflection and growth, a series of Ramadan iftar dinners in the Middle East gave Seeds and supporters an opportunity to reconnect, make new friends, and reflect on the issues within their communities and what it means to be a Seed in these turbulent times.

Over 150 Seeds and their parents, Educators, Seeds of Peace staff, and friends celebrated the Muslim holy month of Ramadan by breaking their daily fast together at iftar dinners held across the region.

In a restaurant in Nablus, the iftar also served an educational purpose for the nearly 40 Seeds, Educators, and parents from the West Bank communities of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nablus. Taking place just nine days after the new U.S. Embassy opened in Jerusalem, the event featured a discussion with a political analyst from a local university so attendees could further explore the significance of the Embassy’s move.

“Getting together over Ramadan is always a nice way to reach out to the community, to involve parents or dialogue leaders who we don’t see as often and keep them updated,” said Claire Dibsy Ayed, Seeds of Peace’s chief business and legal affairs officer.

“But we also wanted to give a chance to increase understanding and provide clarification of not just what the Embassy move means on a political level, but what it means deep down for us, as a country and as Palestinians.”

Current events were also among the topics several days later, at an iftar held on May 26 at the Shepherd Hotel in Bethlehem. Forty-six Seeds, Educators, and parents from Hebron, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem mingled, caught up on news, and relished the opportunity to gather in a place where many rarely travel.

“After the iftar, many parents sent us text messages thanking us for the giving them the chance to meet each other,” Claire said. “Although they live in the same area, many, especially our parents in Jerusalem, don’t travel often to the West Bank. The iftar gave them a chance to meet, talk, and share their experiences and ideas.”

Another iftar followed on June 2, this time at the Al Waleed Resort in Tamra, a town in northern Israel. It was attended by 18 Seeds, all Palestinian citizens of Israel.

“We wanted to give them their own space and opportunity to talk about their own issues and about whether our focus should go on solving the conflict or solving community problems, like crime, unemployment, and other issues that relate directly to their minority in Israel,” said Bashar Iraqi, a Seeds of Peace Middle East Program Director. “We had a great dialogue.”

And on June 14, 29 Seeds, Educators, and friends met on the Gaza beach to break their fast, share their experiences from Camp, and reflect on what it means to be a part of Seeds of Peace.

“In this critical time,” one attendee said, “I’m doing my best to use the strategies and some of the exercises I learned during at Camp with my family, and with myself.”

Forum explores Israeli media landscape

Jan 27, 2018 / No Comments

JERUSALEM | There have never been more ways to instantly access the latest news happening around the world and in our communities, making the role that journalists play as the gatherers and gatekeepers of this information more critical than ever.

A dozen people gathered on January 26 at the Lev Theater in Tel Avi for the Seeds of Peace Media E-Forum to discuss the current state of journalism in Israel. The group included eight Israeli Seeds, several of whom are journalists, as well as a few Palestinians who also work in media.

Key topics of the conversation included coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and representation of minorities and women in Israeli media, as well as the future of media in Israel.

There were no keynote speakers or lectures; the point of the gathering was to have an open conversation between journalists and consumers of media about “the most critical, burning questions in media today,” according to Ashraf Ghandour, Seeds of Peace Alumni Engagement Manager and an organizer of the event.

Itamar (2013 Israeli Seed) expressed that his thoughts on how local media outlets could reach more people without the usual barriers that often separate journalists and their audiences:

“As a user of social media and having been exposed to reporting through the mainstream media, I would suggest that media platforms make the necessary changes to make more stories accessible, in formats that would suit the modern day viewers,” he said. “I think this is where you are missing your audience.”

And in an age where uncomfortable facts are often written off as “fake news” or one sided, the event was also a chance for media consumers to better understand what drives some of the people working in the media.

“What leads my work is sticking to the truth and seeking it out for the sake of my readers,” said Adir (2008 Israeli Seed), an investigative journalist with the Israeli news outlet Ynet. “This is what drives me to be a better journalist.”

Maine Seeds meet with Portland Schools Superintendent

Sep 9, 2016 / No Comments

PORTLAND | Ten Maine Seeds met with the Portland Superintendent on September 7 to discuss the role Seeds will play in the district’s schools over the coming academic year.

This was the first quarterly meeting between Maine Seeds, the new superintendent of Portland Schools, Javier Botana, and the three principals of the city’s public schools.

Maine Seeds Program Director Tim Wilson said that the superintendent, even in his short tenure, had already heard about the Maine Seeds and their impact in high school classrooms across the state.

“He is eager to continue supporting them through these quarterly meetings and with an open-door policy,” said Tim.

Among the topics discussed were ways to further use dialogue to resolve tensions. The administrators also called on the Seeds to further develop their mentoring program with middle school students.

Maine Seeds prepare to engage communities on racism and privilege

Oct 19, 2014 / 3 Comments

PORTLAND, MAINE | Four Seeds of Peace facilitators worked with 30 Maine Seeds to tackle race and issues of racism, as well as power and privilege, through workshops and dialogue sessions on October 18 at the Portland Public Library.

The seminar is the first in a series of programs designed to build trust and consensus between the Seeds before they engage their classmates and the general public on the topics. It also served to help the Seeds plan how they will begin this public engagement.

“In talking about issues such as race, I understand that if I want others to not make assumptions about my life, then it’s my responsibility to set them straight,” said one of the Seeds.

Through the day, the Seeds examined the asymmetrical power dynamics they encounter in their communities, discussed the history of race and racism in America, explored stereotypes, and shared personal experiences of discrimination. They also spent time reflecting on the various emotional triggers associated with discussions of race and racism.

“Although I recognize the racism in our community, I unknowingly block it out in order to feel better about having privileges that my friends do not have,” said one participant. “This exercise helped me to understand that it is prevalent. It also opened my eyes to what my friends have gone through their whole lives.”

“Although I already knew that race impacts a person’s opportunity and privilege, it was eye-opening to see the individual situations where race influenced my friends’ lives,” said another.

“We asked the Seeds to write on notecards in one word how they felt about the day,” said one of the program’s organizers, Erica Zane. “Some of the answers we got were ‘powerful,’ ‘emotional,’ ‘difficult,’ ‘challenging,’ ‘scared,’ ‘hopeful.’”

The seminar comes on the heels of a high profile racial incident in Portland on October 7 during which soccer fans allegedly yelled racist comments at high school players, including “Go back to Africa!”

Maine Seeds at the match overheard the comments, and education officials are working with Seeds and staff to address divides within the schools and communities exposed by the incident.

GATHER Summit 2018: Community and connection in vivid colors

Jan 10, 2019 / No Comments

The “YES” sign, built from dozens of illuminated light bulbs, may have been an uncommon, perhaps even questionable, choice of hotel lobby decor, but it served as backdrop—and the perfect metaphor—for the 2018 GATHER Summit.

More than 70 entrepreneurs, artists, educators, activists, and policy makers joined together in Athens, Greece, in the middle of December to reflect in their work, share best practices, and dig into questions around the systemic levers of change. From the wee hours of morning until late at night, a vivid brightness and endless buzz of positivity emanated from everyone involved.

The Summit was shaped around four tracks: economic, political, social activism, and arts and education. Changemakers from Palestine, Pakistan, Israel, India, Cyprus, the Balkans, Egypt, the US, Jordan, Afghanistan, and the UK built skills around storytelling and resource development.

But more than that, they built and strengthened community.

“How amazing it was to be from different countries, different backgrounds and many other differences, and to be able to work in one business mind and systematic goal in less than a week. We are leading the change,” one participant from Palestine reflected.

An asset mapping session kicked off a slew of networking opportunities, with participants posting services they sought and skills they could share. From there, individuals met up in pairs over the course of the Summit for ‘brain dates’—where they could learn from and advise each other.

Workshops led by experts in the field included introductions to impact investment and nonprofit fundraising, effective negotiation, putting the ‘story’ back in storytelling, using narrative to move from ‘action-inhibition’ to ‘action-enabling,’ and rethinking for-profit biases.

An open-space activity allowed the nearly 60 changemakers to suggest topics of discussion and move freely from one conversation to the next. Groups explored ways to support women in traditionally patriarchal societies, tackled notions of identity and how to instill that in our children, and discussed what to do about Gaza, to name a few. Not surprisingly, we had to extend this session, because people could not be pulled away from each other.

There was even time to explore the city of Athens—visiting local social service, political, or economic organizations to learn more about systemic change, and, of course, climbing the hill to the Acropolis.

Connections were formed, skills solidified, and participants left the Summit renewed in their conviction to lead change, in a myriad of thoughtful and impactful ways.

Said one Israeli participant, “The most important thing for me that I can apply are the relationships I gained and the knowledge that people support my unorthodox path toward contributing to peace in the world. I have more confidence, and I feel like I have a larger and more supportive network.”

India, Pak youths join hands for ‘balanced’ history
Indian Express

Jan 9, 2010 / No Comments

MUMBAI | A group of youngsters from India and Pakistan is working on a “balanced” history textbook comparing Indian and Pakistani interpretations of events between 1857 and 1947.

The book is part of an initiative by Seeds of Peace (SOP), a peace-building organisation that aims at empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with leadership skills. The organisation was set up in 1993 to establish contacts between Israeli and Palestinian nationals and was later launched for Indian and Pakistani youths in 2001.

“We are compiling a balanced book; sort of a comparative study with all the major events during the period. We don’t have to propagate which version is correct. The Seeds (members) will read it and question it themselves,” said Qasim Aslam, the oldest Seed from Lahore, who is among the group now visiting Mumbai.

Aslam said events like Direct Action Day and formation of the Muslim League are entirely different in history books of the two countries. “We have come across glaring omissions during our interactions,” said Rishi Razdan, an Indian Seed.

The 26/11 terror attack was among the topics of interaction, besides Partition and terrorism in South Asia. “Dialogue forms a critical part of the process. We get both sides of the story,” Aslam said. “During 26/11, there were strong statements from both countries against each other. But it was never mentioned that Pakistanis too were as hurt as Indians.”

A history workshop will be conducted on Saturday.

Read this article at The Indian Express »

Over 700 Palestinians, Israelis attend GATHER Community Days

Mar 5, 2016 / No Comments

JERUSALEM | Over 700 Seeds, parents, educators, and friends convened in Jericho on February 27 and Tel Aviv on March 4 for two GATHER Community Days in Palestine and Israel to recognize the impact our alumni are having in their communities and take part in workshops, trainings, and networking sessions.

GATHER is a Seeds of Peace initiative that supports practical action to advance social change and impact conflict. The day-long convenings marked the first time ever that Seeds of Peace has brought together the full range of alumni—from Seeds of all ages to Educators and Fellows—alongside external supporters and stakeholders, including members of other organizations working for peace change.

“This is the first Seeds of Peace activity I attended in a while,” said one participant. “I was reminded how beautiful this organization is. I’m so happy I came. I want to be involved again.”

Seeds of Peace Community Day Palestine

In Jericho, the GATHER Community Day was held at the Oasis Hotel and included sessions that highlighted the ways in which Seeds, Educators, Fellows, and other organizations, including Combatants for Peace and Just Vision, are working for change within Palestine. Seed-led panels tackled topics ranging from community empowerment, to gender and politics and resisting the status quo.

Forty attendees from Gaza were able to attend the event. Dr. Mohammed Isleem, Director of Middle East Programs for Seeds of Peace in Gaza, spoke about the Shijaeya Community Project that provides opportunities for children in the devastated Gaza neighborhood to engage in active learning, critical thinking, creativity, and social awareness, and GATHER Fellow Rasha shared her efforts to secure tech jobs for young Gazans.

During a luncheon for participants, Seeds and staff shared the way in which Seeds of Peace has evolved its programming over the years in response to changes on the ground and to better address the needs of Seeds and Educators.

The GATHER Community Day was attended by representatives from a wide array of organizations, including the Alliance for Middle East Peace, the Office of the Quartet, and the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The US Consul General in Jerusalem Donald Blome also spoke to the participants about the vital role of youth leadership as a catalyst for change in the region.

“Seeing you all reinforces my own hope that the future of peace in this region is not as dark as some would describe it,” said Blome.

Seeds of Peace Community Day Israel

The GATHER Community Day in Tel Aviv took place at the Dan Panorama Hotel and included panel discussions, workshops, and lectures focused on inspiring change and accelerating the impact of initiatives led by Seeds of Peace alumni.

Participants heard from speakers like Iddo, a Seed, high school teacher, and New Visions for Peace Fellow from Jerusalem who is challenging his students to think critically about the conflict.

The US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro attended the event, along with representatives from nearly a dozen organizations in Israel including Tsofen, Hand in Hand, Sikkuy, and the Israel Women’s Network.

Over 450 participants attended a luncheon highlighting the ways Seeds of Peace alumni are impacting their communities.
 
GATHER COMMUNITY DAYS

GATHER+962 Blog

Mar 1, 2015 / No Comments

In February, over 200 changemakers from more than 20 countries around the world met in Jordan to take practical steps towards transforming conflict in and between their communities.

GATHER+962, a Seeds of Peace initiative, marked a new milestone in Seeds of Peace’s journey as a leadership development organization. The three-day convening formally launched a larger Seeds of Peace initiative to help accelerate the efforts of Graduate Seeds and other leaders in their communities.

A New Seeds of Peace Action-oriented Initiative

Mohamed Rahmy, Director of Seeds of Peace Graduate Programs, shares the highlights from GATHER+962:

I’m happy to report back on this first step that is GATHER+962 and share with you some of its highlights, but before I do, if you missed out on GATHER+962 and couldn’t attend it last month, don’t worry: there are many more opportunities yet to come!

Gather 962

Who Came

Participants from more than 20 countries all around the world including Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, the US, the UK, Italy, Yemen, Lebanon, and France attended GATHER+962.

The majority of participants came from the Seeds of Peace community: Seeds, Delegation Leaders, educators, and counselors. However, GATHER+962 was equally inclusive of those new to the organization. We had representations from a wide array of local, regional and international organizations, companies, and foundations including: PITME, Endeavor, CISCO, QuestScope, Ashoka, Energiya Global Capital, FOEME, Think Unlimited, MEET, One Voice, Tsofen, Sadara Ventures, ALLMEP, PresenTense, Rabtt, Social Quotient, and many more.

Gather 962

Themes and Speakers

This year we focused on the roles that business, entrepreneurship, media, technology and gender play in social change. Selection of participants as well as curation of all activities and sessions at GATHER+962 were guided by these professional tracks.

Our plenary Inspire Talks featured:

Ami Dar, founder of Idealist and a pioneer in building a global online community.

Kito De Boer, Head of Mission, Office of the Quartet Representative, who is spearheading the Initiative for the Palestinian Economy.

David Pearl, a much sought-after inspirational speaker, who through his Hero’s Journey talk spoke to the GATHER community about leadership, culture change, and working with uncertainty.

Our dear colleague and Seeds of Peace’s very own Director of South Asia Programs Awista Ayub moderated a phenomenal conversation between the first female Second Deputy Speaker in the Afghan Parliament, Fawzia Koofi, and Parnian Nazary, Advocacy Manager at Women for Afghan Women and 2003 Afghan Seed.

Gather 962 Afghan Discussion

Discussion Series

We curated 15 different Discussion Series over the course of the weekend featuring more than 50 panelists debating a multitude of current topics through the lens of how progress might be advanced in practical ways. Discussion Series were structured as panels but in a more intimate set-up to allow for meaningful conversations, interactions and thoughtful exchanges.

Leading the Discussion Series were Graduate Seeds who sat alongside experts and industry leaders—representing pioneering social change organizations, businesses and VCs in our regions—to share their views, work and expertise, among them:

Sherife AbdelMessih (Egyptian Seed and CEO of Future Energy), Aneeq Cheema (Pakistani Seed and Co-Founder of Rabtt), Alina Shkolnikov (Israeli Seed and Director at PresenTense), Shanoor Seervai (Indian Seed and freelance writer and journalist), Adham Rishmawi (Palestinian Seed and VP Medipharm Co.), Christina Hawatmeh (American Seed and Founder of Protestify).

Gather 962

Entrepreneurial Skill-Building

There were numerous opportunities for participants to develop practical skills as emerging social entrepreneurs. Danny Warshay, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Brown University, led his popular case-study based “Entrepreneurial Process” workshop which guided participants on how to master a deliberate entrepreneurial process, apply entrepreneurial approaches to solving social challenges, develop entrepreneurial confidence and hone down analytical and communication skills.

Tia Johnston Brown of Ashoka led an “Entrepreneurship Boot Camp” where change leaders worked through the unique challenges and opportunities of running a social enterprise and learned how to pitch their projects.

Initiative Pitch

The weekend culminated with an Initiative Pitch, where 20 young professionals presented their ideas to conference attendees and received feedback from esteemed panelists, paving the way for the work that will continue after GATHER+962.

Gather 962

Where do we go from here?

We will continue to build the network and community through in-person follow up events, our online community, a very active Facebook group, and the upcoming Seed Fellowship Program which will debut in London and continue over the course of the year through local programs and targeted leadership development opportunities.

We will be announcing the opening of the Seed Fellowship Program applications in the coming weeks. All are invited to apply whether or not they attended GATHER+962.

Have a look at more photos and highlights from GATHER+962!

Gather 962

VIDEO: Watch the opening of GATHER ››
Read a Christian Science Monitor article about GATHER ››

Palestinian educators attend Peaceful Learning Environment workshops

Nov 23, 2009 / No Comments

USAIDFrom 2007 to 2009, with the support of USAID, Seeds of Peace organized thirteen three-day workshops on peaceful learning environments for Palestinian educators from across East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

In August 2009, for the first time since Hamas took power in Gaza, Seeds of Peace organized a peaceful learning environment workshop in Gaza for Palestinian educators. This Gaza workshop, along with the thirteen West Bank workshops, which took place in Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarem, Bethlehem and Ramallah, were outreach initiatives into the Palestinian community. With the guidance and support of Palestinian Delegation Leaders, these workshops met the needs of Palestinian educators in places where peace seems very distant.

Seeds of Peace

The core faculty members were Palestinian Seeds of Peace Educators—Delegation Leaders and graduates of other Seeds of Peace Educators’ programs. Visiting faculty members—Delegation Leaders, Delegation Leader staff from the Camp in Maine—came from as far as Mumbai, India, Boston, Massachusetts, and Peak’s Island, Maine.

Workshops focused on a range of topics: how to teach communication skills, how to encourage active learning, how to encourage respect, how to use drama, how to cope with violence in schools, how to transform the culture of a school, how to encourage cross-cultural understanding, leadership and civic engagement, how to establish peer mediation and community service programs.

Participants stayed in touch and supported one another. They were encouraged to participate in the SOP Cross-Border Educator’s Workshops. Some also became part of the Model Schools Initiative.