OTISFIELD, MAINE | As national attention increasingly focuses on divisions in and between communities across the United States, Seeds of Peace is launching a new program to bring together a diverse cohort of exceptional youth from cities around the country. This new United States program will include youth from Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Syracuse, New York.
The program, which begins August 3 at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Maine, builds on 16 years of Seeds of Peace’s work with over 600 young leaders from Maine who are a leading voice for dialogue, inclusion, and equity in schools and communities across the state.
The 120 campers will take part in an identity-based dialogue program focused on race, religion, economic and educational disparity and other sources of prejudice and discrimination.
Daily 110-minute dialogue sessions, led by professional facilitators, will explore the concepts of identity, culture, power and privilege while fostering self-reflection and self-growth.
The program is designed to help campers move beyond the stereotypes, prejudices and mistrust, and prepare them to address issues that impact their peers, schools, and communities. After the summer, participants in the program will join a network of 6,000 Seeds of Peace alumni around the world and will have opportunities to continue developing their leadership skills and to apply what they’ve learned to help bridge divides in their schools and communities.
Read an article about this new program at the Associated Press »
About Seeds of Peace
Seeds of Peace inspires and cultivates new generations of global leaders in communities divided by conflict.
We equip them with the skills and relationships they need to accelerate social, economic, and political changes essential for peace.
Our approach
Seeds of Peace’s approach focuses on three types of change: personal and interpersonal transformation, and wider societal change.
Our leadership development model begins with a transformational camp session in Maine for exceptional young people and educators living in conflict. The program shifts attitudes and perceptions and builds respect and empathy.
Our approach continues through year-round local programs that strengthen relationships and leadership capacities.
We then accelerate the impact of our alumni who are challenging the ideologies, policies, and practices that perpetuate conflict.
Our network now encompasses over 6,000 alumni throughout the Middle East, South Asia, Europe, and the United States who are uniquely positioned to lead change.