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Seeds of Peace

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Seeds of Peace
Formation1993
TypeNon-profit organization
HeadquartersNew York, New York, with offices in Jerusalem, Amman, Lahore, Mumbai.
Websitewww.seedsofpeace.org

Seeds of Peace is a peacebuilding and leadership development non-profit organization headquartered in New York City. It was founded in 1993. As its main program, the organization brings youth and educators from areas of conflict to its summer camp. It also provides local programming to support Seeds of Peace graduates, known as Seeds, once they return home. It is a non-political organization that teaches youth peace-making skills.[1]

SOS Children's Village

History

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Seeds of Peace began in 1993 as an idea of the American journalist John Wallach. At a state dinner with politicians from Israel, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority, Wallach proposed that they bring 15 youngsters from each of their respective countries to a new camp he was founding in Maine. These 46, including 3 Americans, ranging in age from 13 to 18, comprised the first session of the Seeds of Peace Camp, founded on the site of the former Camp Powhatan in Otisfield, Maine.[2]

The campers from 1993 were later present at the signing ceremony of the Declaration of Principles (better known as the Oslo Accords) in Washington, D.C. President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, and PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat were photographed holding Seeds of Peace T-shirts.[3]

From its start in 1993 through 2010, Seeds says that over 4,000 children have attended the camp. Children have attended from a wide variety of countries, with Seeds offices in Amman, Cairo, Gaza, Jerusalem, Kabul, Lahore, Mumbai, Otisfield, Ramallah, and Tel Aviv as of 2010.[4]

Organization

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John Wallach's vision focused on leaders of the next generation. The need to establish its legitimacy at home inspired the creation of the Delegation Leaders Program. Delegation Leaders are educators from the countries in conflict; they take part in the selection and orientation of Seeds at home. They accompany the Seeds to and from camp. While at camp, participants speak English as the common language of the camp.

The organization supports returning Seeds with year-round programming, including dialogue sessions, cross-cultural visits, educational and leadership development workshops, and outreach events.[5]

In 2001, Seeds of Peace expanded to South Asia, bringing together conflicting sides from Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

Camper selection process

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The selection takes about half a year, with most of the participants being 14–16 years old. Typically, applicants to Seeds of Peace apply through the school systems in their home countries. Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in English, leadership skills, and local politics. They are selected on the basis of interviews and written essays. Many of the first-time campers are chosen by the Ministries of Education or other government agencies in their respective countries.[6]

Leadership

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John Wallach, the founder of the organization, also served as its president until his death in 2002. He was succeeded by former State Department official Aaron David Miller, who left the job early in 2006. Later, Janet Wallach, wife of John Wallach, was named president emeritus, and Steven Flanders served for a time as the executive officer in charge. Starting in the spring of 2007, Nicolla Hewitt served briefly as president, until her departure in 2008. Leslie Adelson Lewin served as director from the fall of 2009 to 2019. In 2020, the organization announced Fr. Josh Thomas as its new Executive Director.

Offices

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The organization's U.S. headquarters are located in New York City. Seeds of Peace has also opened central offices in Jerusalem and smaller offices in Amman, Cairo, Gaza, Kabul, Lahore, Mumbai, Otisfield, Ramallah, and Tel Aviv as of 2010.[4] Programs for people in their 20s are expanding.[citation needed]

Life after camp

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2009 Spring Seminar meeting between Palestinian, Israeli Arab and Jewish Israeli Seeds

Approximately 350 new Seeds graduate from Seeds of Peace every summer. After camp, the organization runs year-round regional programs for graduates in their home countries that focus on "four of the most important assets and abilities that leaders in conflict regions need to create meaningful change: strong relationships across lines of conflict; a sophisticated understanding of core conflict issues; practical skills in communication, critical thinking, and change-making; and the ability to take action on behalf of peace."[7] Author John Wallach himself dedicated his book, The Enemy Has a Face: The Seeds of Peace Experience, to the organization.[8]

The Olive Branch

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From 1996 to 2012, the organization's graduates published a magazine, The Olive Branch, that summed up their activities over a period of several months. It included reports, poetry, essays, and photos.[9]

Alumni

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Asel Asleh

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Main article: Death of Asel Asleh
Asel Asleh at Seeds of Peace

On October 2, 2000, Asel Asleh, an Israeli Arab and graduate of the program, was killed by Israeli security forces during a demonstration. He was wearing the Seeds of Peace T-shirt at the time of the shooting and was subsequently buried in it.[10]

Gracie Abrams

American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams attended the program in 2016.[11] The pop artist released a statement to social media referencing her time in the camp in the wake of the Israel-Hamas War.

Criticism

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In an article in The Electronic Intifada, a Palestinian student from the West Bank studying in the United States for college criticized Seeds of Peace for its perceived contrivance of a false equivalence between the actions of the Israelis and those of the Palestinians by omitting the larger historical context of the conflict, and for not being sufficiently critical of Israeli policies toward the Palestinians.[12]

In a fantasy-theme analysis of Seeds of Peace publications, Engstrom (2007) argues that organizations like Seeds of Peace unknowingly participate in sustaining the conflicts they seek to eliminate by rhetorically promoting peace, which places the burden of ending the conflict on future generations. Politicians and other stakeholders in the current conflict use their support for Seeds of Peace as a signal of their commitment to peace while remaining committed to military engagement.[13]

Hands of Peace

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In 2024, Hands of Peace, a smaller U.S.-based nonprofit that held summer programs for Israeli, Palestinian and American youth closed down[14] and merged with Seeds of Peace.[15][16]

A notable alum of the program is Naama Levy, one of the Israeli soldiers taken captive by Hamas when the Palestinian militant group stormed the Nahal Oz Army Base on October 7, 2023.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Seeds of Peace". Philanthropy News Digest. January 22, 2002.
  2. ^ "Seeds of Peace Program Overview". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  3. ^ "Israel-PLO Peace Agreement Signing". LIFE. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  4. ^ a b "List of Current Seeds of Peace Areas of Operation". Seeds of Peace. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  5. ^ "Post-Camp Activities". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  6. ^ Hamburg, David A. Hamburg, Beatrix A.; M.D, Beatrix A. Hamburg (2004). Learning to live together preventing hatred and violence in child and adolescent development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 288. ISBN 9780195348019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ "Regional Programs". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  8. ^ John Wallach (2000). The Enemy Has a Face: The Seeds of Peace Experience. United States Institute of Peace.
  9. ^ "The Olive Branch Youth Magazine – Seeds of Peace". Seeds of Peace. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
  10. ^ Greenberg, Joel (15 June 2001). "Police Killings of Israeli Arabs Being Questioned by Inquiry". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-16.
  11. ^ Bobbie Gottschalk (2022-08-05). C0104 Gracie Abrams song sung by counselors and facilitators at the end of Camp 2022-2. Retrieved 2024-09-04 – via YouTube.
  12. ^ Murphy, Maureen Clare (2009-08-19). "Can we talk? The Middle East "peace industry"". The Electronic Intifada. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  13. ^ Engstrom, Craig (27 February 2009). "Promoting peace, yet sustaining conflict? A fantasy‐theme analysis of Seeds of Peace publications". Journal of Peace Education. 6 (1): 19–35. doi:10.1080/17400200802658332. S2CID 143053976.
  14. ^ Maltz, Judy (2024-01-10). "'Worst crisis ever': Jewish-Muslim partnership groups in U.S. become another victim of Gaza war". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  15. ^ "Hands of Peace Has Closed | Hands of Peace". Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  16. ^ "Hands of Peace - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  17. ^ "Bring Naama Home | Hands of Peace". Retrieved 2024-09-04.

Sources

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Seeds of Peace.
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