Press Release

Please contact Jeremy Goldberg at (646) 228-5338 or jeremy@seedsofpeace.org for further information.

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For Immediate Release INDIAN YOUTH CROSS BORDER INTO PAKISTAN FOR HISTORIC HOMESTAY WITH PAKISTANI PEERS Seeds of Peace Organizes Cross-Border Exchange to Promote Coexistence Lahore, Pakistan (August 13, 2003) Twenty-one Indian graduates of the Seeds of Peace program have arrived in Pakistan as part of a 3-day home-stay program with their Pakistani counterparts, a first for the Seeds of Peace program. The youths arrived yesterday in Pakistan along the newly reopened bus route between New Delhi and Lahore, a bridge that South Asian officials hope will promote coexistence and understanding between to the two nations embroiled in conflict. The teenagers from Seeds of Peace represent the next generation of leadership of their respective countries, and provide living proof that peace and coexistence are possible between these two nations. While in Pakistan, the teenagers of Seeds of Peace will participate in various Independence Day programs as well as attend a dinner hosted by the American Consulate General in Lahore. The Pakistani "Seeds" will then travel to India for the second part of the cross-border exchange, where they will stay with their Indian counterparts. "This important youth exchange comes at a critical moment in the India-Pakistan relationship," remarked Aaron David Miller, President of Seeds of Peace. "I hope that these courageous and determined teenagers can demonstrate to their leaders and societies that coexistence is both desirable and possible." Seeds of Peace continues to remain at the forefront of efforts to promote coexistence in many of the world's most troubled regions. Beginning in 1993 as a program targeting Israeli and Arab youth, Seeds of Peace expanded into South Asia in the summer of 2001. This past summer, approximately 40 teenagers from South Asia attended the Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine. This historic youth exchange between Indian and Pakistani youth comes on the heels of a meeting yesterday, August 12, between Seeds of Peace participants from the Middle East and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. Earlier this summer, "Seeds" from the Middle East and South Asia met with President George W. Bush at the White House and Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill. Seeds of Peace has now graduated over 2,500 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict-resolution and coexistence program. Through the International 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, list-serve, educational conferences and seminars provide year-round follow-up programming. Seeds of Peace is headquartered in New York City. For more information about Seeds of Peace and its activities and events please call Rebecca Hankin, Director of Communications at 212-573-8040 ext. 31 or via email at rebecca@seedsofpeace.org. ###