Organization: SEEDS OF PEACE INC
Mission: NONPROFIT COMMITTED TO INSPIRING AND EQUIPPING YOUNG LEADERS FROM REGIONS OF CONFLICT.
Activities: SEEDS OF PEACE CAMP: THE 2019 SEEDS OF PEACE CAMP PROGRAM BROUGHT TOGETHER 346 YOUNG PEOPLE AND 39 EDUCATORS REPRESENTING 12 DELEGATIONS. SIXTY-ONE OF THESE YOUNG PEOPLE CAME FOR A SECOND YEAR PARADIGM SHIFTERS PROGRAM, AN ADVANCED LEADERSHIP DIALOGUE THAT DEEPENS UNDERSTANDING OF PERSONAL AND STRUCTURAL CONFLICT.THE FIRST THREE-WEEK SESSIONS BROUGHT TOGETHER PARTICIPANTS FROM EGYPT, INDIA, ISRAEL, JORDAN, PAKISTAN, PALESTINE, THE UNITED KINGDOM, AND THE UNITED STATES TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE ON EITHER THE MIDDLE EAST OR SOUTH ASIA CONFLICTS.DURING THE SECOND SESSION, YOUNG PEOPLE FROM MAINE, SYRACUSE, NEW YORK CITY, LOS ANGELES, AND CHICAGO ENGAGED EACH OTHER IN DIALOGUE ACROSS LINES OF DIFFERENCE TO ANALYZE STRUCTURAL AND INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT AND INEQUALITIES IN THE US WHILE TACKING TOPICS SUCH AS CLASS, RACE, GENDER, POWER, AND PRIVILEGE.IN EACH SESSION, PARTICIPANTS EXPLORED CONFLICT ON PERSONAL, INTERPERSONAL, AND SOCIETAL LEVELS BY SHARING THEIR OWN EXPERIENCES AND GRAPPLING WITH THE DIFFERENCES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE HISTORICAL NARRATIVES. THE INTENT WAS NOT TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS OR PROVE THE VALIDITY OF ANY ONE NARRATIVE. RATHER IT WAS TO DEVELOP ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP QUALITIES: STRENGTHENING ONE'S VOICE, DEVELOPING CRITICAL THINKING, FOSTERING RESPECT AND EMPATHY, AND LEARNING HOW TO ACTIVELY LISTEN. ALL WITH THE GOAL OF DEEPENING PARTICIPANTS' SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY TO LEAD CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AT HOME.
MIDDLE EAST: CAMP IS JUST THE STARTING POINT ON THE JOURNEY FROM PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION TO BECOMING AN AGENT OF CHANGE WITHIN ONE'S SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY. AFTER CAMP, SEEDS (AS GRADUATED CAMPERS WILL FOREVER BE KNOWN) TAKE PART IN SKILL-BUILDING PROGRAMS BACK AT HOME. IN 2019, SEEDS OF PEACE OFFERED DOZENS OF LOCAL PROGRAMS THAT HELPED INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF CORE CONFLICT ISSUES BY REGION, TRAINED SEEDS IN DIALOGUE AND FACILITATION, AND ENCOURAGED ACTIVISM AND CHANGEMAKING IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES. IN THE MIDDLE EAST, FOR EXAMPLE, 46 PALESTINIAN SEEDS ATTENDED A THREE-DAY DEFYING BORDERS SEMINAR TO EXPLORE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL BARRIERS FACING THE PALESTINIAN YOUTH, 75 ISRAELI SEEDS ATTENDED A THREE-DAY ACTIVISM SEMINAR, AND 30 JORDANIAN SEEDS TOOK PART IN A YEAR-ROUND YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.
MULTI-REGIONAL: SEEDS OF PEACE'S GATHER COMMUNITY IS A NETWORK OF TENACIOUS AND ROOTED INDIVIDUALS WHO BELIEVE IN SHOWING UP FOR EACH OTHER AND COMMIT TO USING THEIR INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE POWER TO MEANINGFULLY CHANGE THE SYSTEMS THAT PERPETUATE CONFLICT AND OPPRESSION. CHANGE REQUIRES ALL OF US, USING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES AND APPROACHES, WORKING ACROSS ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY. AS A COMMUNITY, REACHING BEYOND TRADITIONAL BOUNDARIES AND DIVIDES, GATHER PARTICIPANTS ARE A LIVING EXAMPLE OF THE WORLD THAT WE ARE WORKING TO BUILD AND PROOF THAT IT CAN EXIST. SEEDS OF PEACE LAUNCHED THE GATHER FELLOWSHIP IN ORDER TO INVEST IN AND AMPLIFY THE EXCEPTIONAL EFFORTS OF ITS ALUMNI COMMUNITY AND OTHERS WHOSE IDEAS AND WORK HAVE THE GREATEST POTENTIAL TO CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE CHANGE AND DISRUPT THE STATUS QUO OF CONFLICT IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. GATHER LAUNCHED ITS FOURTH FELLOWSHIP COHORT IN APRIL 2019. THESE 16 CHANGEMAKERS HAD ACCESS TO COMMUNICATION AND FUNDRAISING EXPERTISE, PERSONAL AND PROJECT COACHING, AND FUNDING TO MOVE THEIR PROJECTS FORWARD. FELLOWS CO-CREATE THEIR LEARNING EXPERIENCE, LEADING WORKSHOPS FOR EACH OTHER AND COLLECTIVELY WORKSHOPPING CHALLENGES IN PODS. 2019 FELLOWS ARE USING DESIGN THINKING TO PUT COMMUNITIES AT THE CENTER OF THEIR OWN CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION; PROMOTING RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL TOLERANCE THROUGH EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN; SUPPORTING REFUGEE COMMUNITIES THROUGH GASTRODIPLOMACY; PROMOTING SOCIAL JUSTICE AND RACIAL EQUITY TO YOUTH THROUGH GAMING IN TURKEY; ESTABLISHING A NETWORK OF DIALOGUE PROGRAMS IN US HIGH SCHOOLS; AND PROMOTING DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT THROUGH STORYTELLING. GATHER JLM BROUGHT TOGETHER A DIVERSE GROUP OF 20 PROFESSIONALS FROM EAST AND WEST JERUSALEM WORKING TO ADVANCE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT JERUSALEM. EIGHTEEN ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS WERE TRAINED IN DIALOGUE FACILITATION THROUGH OUR NINE-MONTH FACILITATION COURSE. THE COURSE UNIQUELY USES EXPERIENTIAL METHODOLOGIES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR THOSE LIVING IN CONFLICT-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES. PREVIOUS COURSE GRADUATES REPORTED WORKING FOR MORE THAN 50 PROJECTS AND INSTITUTIONS IN PALESTINE AND ISRAEL. SEEDS OF PEACE EDUCATORS CONTINUED THEIR WORK TO CULTIVATE THE ECOSYSTEM FOR THE ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION TO THRIVE THROUGHOUT 2019. SEEDS OF PEACE INVITED 25 KEY EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS ITS NETWORK FOR A THREE WEEK "DESIGN SESSION" AT THE SEEDS OF PEACE CAMP IN MAINE. THE GOAL: EXPLORE DYNAMICS ON THE GROUND AND THE ROLE OF EDUCATORS IN ACHIEVING THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION, TO ENGAGE WITH STAFF, AND TO MAKE CONCRETE PROPOSALS AND REQUESTS FOR HOW TO INTEGRATE EDUCATORS FULLY INTO THE ORGANIZATION'S WORK.SEEDS OF PEACE ALSO OFFERED EDUCATORS THREE THREE-DAY MINI COURSES ON EDUCATING IN A DIVERSE DEMOCRACY WHICH DISTILLED THE ESSENCE OF THE THEMATIC CAMP COURSES OF THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS. WHILE THE FIRST OF THESE MINI COURSES, FOR MAINE EDUCATORS, TOOK PLACE AT CAMP, THE SECOND TWO, FOR EDUCATORS IN NEW YORK CITY AND SYRACUSE, TOOK PLACE IN THE EDUCATORS COMMUNITIES. THIS ADDED A NEW DIMENSION TO AMERICAN EDUCATOR PROGRAMMING AND BROUGHT IT CLOSER TO SEEDS OF PEACE'S WORK WITH EDUCATORS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA.
NTEE category: International, Foreign Affairs & National Security
Secondary category: Youth Development