WASHINGTON, DC | Mr. DONALD PAYNE (D-NJ): Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 337, a resolution honoring Seeds of Peace for its 15th anniversary as an organization promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence in the Middle East and around the world.
While the peace process has had its ups and downs over the last 15 years, Seeds of Peace has blossomed into a widely recognized organization that has facilitated interaction among thousands of young people and young leaders and educators from all around the world.
Seeds of Peace lays a foundation for sustainable peace by promoting dialogue among young leaders before their fears, mistrust and inherited prejudices have permanently shaped their vision of their enemy. We get them in time to prevent that from happening.
After a summer program in Maine, which also includes many American participants, these young seeds, as they are known, and their teachers, continue with regional and international programming that furthers the dialogue among and across nationalities and supports the development of future leaders. Seeds of Peace also fulfills an important recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, reaching out to young people, particularly in Arab and other Muslim countries, and offering them hope and a positive vision of the future.
C-Span; Text From the Congressional Record
Payne, Donald [D-NJ]. Debate: H.CON.RES.337
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