Resolution 288 calls program a “model of hope that living together in peace and security is possible”
WASHINGTON | The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the bipartisan resolution by a vote of 415-0 on November 19, 2003. The House Concurrent Resolution honors Seeds of Peace for its promotion of understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other regions of conflict, and it validates the organization’s year-round programming that has successfully taught teenagers the tools to make peace for the last ten years.
House Concurrent Resolution 288, introduced by Representative Tom Allen (D-ME), states, “it is especially important to reaffirm that youth must be involved in long-term, visionary solutions to conflicts perpetuated by cycles of violence.” It also states that Seeds of Peace is a “model of hope that living together in peace and security is possible.”
The resolution was co-sponsored by Representatives Steve Chabot (R-OH), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Mike Michaud (D-ME) and 46 other bipartisan co-sponsors.
“John Wallach reported on war but dreamed of peace,” said Representative Allen. “For ten years, Seeds of Peace camp has realized John’s vision of a refuge in the Maine woods ‘to provide an opportunity for the children of war to plant the seeds for a more secure future.’ Israeli and Arab teenagers live, work and play together in peace and understanding, along with teens from other troubled nations around the globe. Today, the U.S. Congress pays tribute to John’s enterprise in hope and offers its encouragement and support to the program, as it continues under the leadership of its new president, Aaron Miller.”
“This resolution honors not only Seeds of Peace and the great vision of John Wallach, but it pays tribute to the courage and resilience of the more than 2,000 young leaders who have been through the program in the last decade. It is critically important that these young people know that the U.S. Congress values and supports the difficult and bold journey toward coexistence on which they have embarked,” said Aaron David Miller, President of Seeds of Peace and a former State Department adviser to six Secretaries of State on Arab-Israeli negotiations.
John Wallach, an award-winning author and journalist, founded Seeds of Peace in 1993. Since then, Seeds of Peace has graduated over 2,000 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict resolution and coexistence program. Through these programs, at the Camp in Maine and at its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, participants develop empathy, respect, communication/negotiation skills, confidence, and hope—the building blocks for peaceful coexistence. A jointly published newspaper, a list-serve, educational conferences and seminars provide year-round follow-up programming.
The full text of House Concurrent Resolution 288 follows.
Honoring Seeds of Peace for its promotion of understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other regions of conflict. (Engrossed as Agreed to or Passed by House)
108th Congress 1st Session
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 20, 2003
House Concurrent Resolution 288
Whereas Seeds of Peace, founded by John Wallach in 1993, is a program that brings together young people from regions of conflict to study and learn about coexistence and conflict resolution;
Whereas although the original focus of Seeds of Peace was to bring Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Egyptian youth together, the program has expanded over the past decade to involve youths from other regions of conflict, including from Greece, Turkey and divided Cyprus, the Balkans, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan;
Whereas these young people study and learn primarily at a summer camp operated by Seeds of Peace in Otisfield, Maine, and also through its regional programs such as the Jerusalem Center for Coexistence;
Whereas Seeds of Peace works to dispel fear, mistrust, and prejudice, which are root causes of violence and conflict, and to build a new generation of leaders who are committed to achieving peace;
Whereas Seeds of Peace reveals the human face of those whom youth have been taught to hate, by engaging campers in both guided coexistence sessions and ordinary summer camp activities such as living together in cabins, sharing meals, canoeing, swimming, playing sports, and creative exploration through the arts and computers;
Whereas the Arab-Israeli conflict is currently at a critical juncture, and sustained progress towards peace depends on the emergence of a new generation of leaders who will choose dialogue, friendship, and openness over violence and hatred;
Whereas Seeds of Peace provides year-round opportunities for former participants to build on the relationships they have forged at camp, so that the learning processes begun at camp can continue back in the participants’ home countries, where they are most needed;
Whereas Seeds of Peace is strongly supported by participating governments and many world leaders; Whereas previous Federal funding for Seeds of Peace demonstrates its recognized importance in promoting United States foreign policy goals;
and Whereas it is especially important to reaffirm that youth must be involved in long-term, visionary solutions to conflicts perpetuated by cycles of violence:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress
(1) honors the accomplishments of Seeds of Peace for promoting understanding, reconciliation, acceptance, coexistence, and peace among youth from the Middle East and other regions of conflict around the world; and
(2) offers Seeds of Peace as a model of hope that living together in peace and security is possible.
Passed the House of Representatives November 19, 2003.