Flag Raising Ceremony will include a moment of silence for Seeds of Peace Founder, John Wallach.
OTISFIELD, MAINE | Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Qatari, Greek, Turkish, and Cypriot youth will arrive at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine on July 22 to begin its second camp session despite the recent passing of its President and Founder, John Wallach. The official opening of the second session will take place on Wednesday, July 24th with a unifying flag-raising ceremony.
The flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday, July 24, at 9 a.m. will be held outside the main entrance of the camp. During the ceremony, a returning Seeds of Peace camper from each delegation will address the new campers and the ceremony will conclude with the raising of the Seeds of Peace flag and singing of its anthem. The ceremony will also include a moment of silence for John Wallach, the man who founded Seeds of Peace in 1993, and who passed away on July 10, 2002 from non-smokers lung cancer.
“Seeds of Peace was John’s dream,” said Tim Wilson, Camp Director of the Seeds of Peace Camp. “We will miss John greatly but will continue to build on his dream during this second session of camp and into the future.”
Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has graduated more than 2,000 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict-resolution program. The Seeds of Peace program brings hundreds of youth identified by their governments as among the best and brightest to live together at three consecutive month-long summer programs. Through the summer-long programs, participants develop empathy, respect, communication/negotiation skills, confidence, and hope – the building blocks for peaceful coexistence. This second session of camp runs from July 22 through August 14 and culminates in a trip to Washington DC where the campers will meet with US and international dignitaries at the Department of State on August 13.
The Seeds of Peace Camp is located at 183 Powhatan Road in Otisfield, Maine. For more information on the Camp and its activities and events, or to schedule a visit, please call Rebecca Hankin, Director of Media Relations, at 212-573-8040 ext. 31.