BY MIKE LOW | OTISFIELD They come together from different parts of the world to the Seeds of Peace International Camp here to learn a little something, about themselves and others. These teenagers—about 170 strong each session—hope to return home with a better understanding of the world and their place in it.
This year, when 11 of the campers return home, be it to Israel, Palestine, Jordan or any other Middle East country, they will have a grand tale to tell. They can say they were part of one of the world’s most prestigious racing events. Those 11 campers, along with six Seeds counselors, will run the Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K race Saturday morning.
While the campers insist it will be a fun time, they also know the significance of the day.
“I’m sure I will be proud to be in the race,” said Ariel Young, a 15-year-old Israeli. “Racers from all over the world come to that race and if I can, at almost 16 years old, be in that race, I will be very proud.”
Seeds of Peace, an organization that attempts to promote tolerance and understanding among youth around the world through summer camps, is this year’s race beneficiary. Peoples Bank will donate $30,000 to the camp.
Just as important, the race will expose the camp—and its ideals—to a new audience.
The 5,000 runners who compete in the Beach to Beacon and the thousands of fans who line Cape Elizabeth’s roads will see the results of the work done at the camp. Children from Israel, Palestine and Jordan will run side by side, cheering each other through the finish of this difficult race. In addition to the runners, campers from Israel and Palestine will hold the finish-line tape.
“I think there’s a lot of symbolism here,” said Keith Citrine of Seeds of Peace. “Seeds of Peace brings kids from all over the world together. This race does the same. We thought this would be a great way to participate.”
Seeds of Peace uses sports to teach many lessons. Through sports, said counselors Sandy Hartwiger and Sarah Sladen, the campers learn to trust each other, the value of teamwork, and that they are the same. Hartwiger, a 29-year-old from North Carolina here for his sixth summer, said, “the campers learn that the other side isn’t so much different from (themselves).”
Sladen, a 22-year-old from New York City at her first camp, said sports is integral in that discovery.
“These kids are all very unique,” she said, “but they are also teenagers and they just want to be regular kids at camp. That’s why sports is so important.”
Hartwiger and Sladen will run the race with the campers, but they won’t keep tabs on their runners. This race will offer an experience unlike any other the campers will have this summer. Recently, many of them participated in a 4-mile road race as part of the Casco Days celebration.
Mohamad Nasseredin, a 17-year-old Palestinian back for his second summer (as a Peer Support), cherishes the numbered bib he wore in that race. He will bring it home as a badge of honor.
“I want to show it to my family,” he said. “It’s going to be nice to have that.”
Young has raced before in Israel, but never in an event of this magnitude. “This will be my highest moment,” he said.
Nasseredin plays basketball so, he said, he is accustomed to running a lot. Asad Rafidi, a 16-year-old from Jordan, said he plays soccer and basketball and loves to swim. This will be his first race as well, and he’s looking forward to completing it with his new friends.
“We’re going to give all we’ve got,” said Rafidi, who seems especially excited about the race. “We want to finish the race but we don’t care who finishes first. We just want to have some fun.
“It’s nice to have fun, right?”
The competition, said Hartwiger, will be internal: looking for a best time or simply looking to finish.
“That goes along with a lot of what happens at camp,” he said. “A lot of the conflicts that go on are internal. A lot of the campers have issues of identity, issues of accepting other beliefs and, you know, once they process it internally, they are able to make strides within the community.
“And I think this race kind of is a microcosm of that. It represents the struggle that a lot of the campers face. It won’t be an easy race probably for a lot of the campers, but I have faith that they will make it through. With people cheering them on and supporting them, I think they will be successful.”