 | |
| Formation | 1993 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, with offices inJerusalem,Amman,Lahore,Mumbai. |
| Budget | Over $6M[1] |
| Website | www |
Seeds of Peace is apeacebuilding andleadership development non-profit organization headquartered inNew York City. It was founded in 1993. As its main program, the organization brings youth and educators fromareas 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.[2]
Seeds of Peace began in 1993 as an idea of theAmerican journalistJohn Wallach. At astate dinner with politicians fromIsrael,Egypt, and thePalestinian Authority, Wallach proposed that they bring 15 youngsters from each of their respective countries to a new camp he was founding inMaine. These 46, including 3 Americans, ranging in age from 13 to 18, comprised the first session of theSeeds of Peace Camp, founded on the site of the former Camp Powhatan inOtisfield, Maine.[3]
The campers from 1993 were later present at the signing ceremony of the Declaration of Principles (better known as theOslo Accords) inWashington, D.C. PresidentBill Clinton, Israeli Prime MinisterYitzhak Rabin, Israeli Foreign MinisterShimon Peres, and PLO ChairmanYasir Arafat were photographed holding Seeds of Peace T-shirts.[4]
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 inAmman,Cairo,Gaza,Jerusalem,Kabul,Lahore,Mumbai,Otisfield,Ramallah, andTel Aviv as of 2010.[5]
A key goal of the Seeds of Peace program is to help teens have compassion for other people’s pain and challenge ideas that society has dictated to them.[6]
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.[7]
In 2001, Seeds of Peace expanded toSouth Asia, bringing together conflicting sides fromAfghanistan,India andPakistan.
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.[8]
John Wallach, the founder of the organization, also served as its president until his death in 2002. He was succeeded by formerState Department officialAaron David Miller, who left the job early in 2006. Later, Janet Wallach, wife of John Wallach, was named presidentemeritus, 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.
The organization's U.S. headquarters are located in New York City. Seeds of Peace has also opened central offices inJerusalem and smaller offices inAmman,Cairo,Gaza,Kabul,Lahore,Mumbai,Otisfield,Ramallah, andTel Aviv as of 2010.[5] Programs for people in their 20s are expanding.[citation needed]
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."[9] Author John Wallach himself dedicated his book,The Enemy Has a Face: The Seeds of Peace Experience, to the organization.[10]
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.[11]
On October 2, 2000,Asel Asleh, anIsraeli 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.[12]
Gracie Abrams
American singer-songwriterGracie Abrams attended the program in 2016.[13] The pop artist released a statement to social media referencing her time in the camp in the wake of theGaza war.
In afantasy-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.[14]
In 2024, Hands of Peace, a smaller U.S.-based nonprofit that held summer programs for Israeli, Palestinian and American youth closed down[15] and merged with Seeds of Peace.[16][17]
A notable alum of the program isNaama Levy, one of the Israeli soldiers taken captive byHamas when the Palestinian militant group stormed theNahal Oz Army Base on October 7, 2023 and released on 25 January 2025 after 477 days in captivity.[18]
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