Seeds of Peace International Camp
Set in the neutral, supportive environment of our camp in Maine, Seeds of Peace creates a community in which Arab and Israeli youngsters as well as teens from other conflict regions live together in cabins, share meals, and participate in numerous summer camp activities. Often meeting teens 'from the other side' for the first time, these youngsters canoe, swim and play sports together; they find creative expression through music, drama and fine arts and enter the threshold of the information age in state-of-the-art computer classes. 
A ropes and initiatives course provides them with additional challenges that are designed to foster self-discovery, confidence, teamwork, communication and group process skills. The daily schedule is designed to maximize the interaction of each Arab and Israeli, Indian and Pakistani, Afghan, Greek and Turkish Cypriot and Balkan teenager in intimate group settings. Over 450 teenagers participate in Seeds of Peace each summer. The Seeds of Peace International Camp in Maine hosts eight delegations from the Middle East, (Egyptians, Israelis, Jordanians, Moroccans, Palestinians, Qataris, Yemeni, and Tunisians), two from Cyprus: (Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriots), Greeks, Turks, Indians and Pakistanis, Afghans, and five from the Balkans (Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia). The camp also hosts two domestic programs: Beyond Borders and Maine Seeds. All international campers are selected by their respective governments or other organizations on the ground in their regions. The Americans, as host delegates, are selected by Seeds of Peace. Please click here to find out more about the role of the American Delegation.
Components of the Summer Program
Coexistence Program: Led by a team of professional facilitators, the daily dialogue sessions constitute the core of the Seeds of Peace Summer Program. As an integral part of the overall camp experience, the dialogue sessions are designed to support the teenagers in building relationships based on honesty, understanding and respect. It is here that the youngsters are given an opportunity to link their new camp experience to the values and relationships that defined their world before Seeds of Peace. At the same time, these sessions provide the teens with a venue to express their thoughts and feelings about the conflict and the many ways in which it affects their lives. Creating a safe space, the facilitators allow for the development of a deeper understanding of and compassion for 'the other.' The dialogue sessions are designed to create opportunities for the youngsters to discuss the harder and more contentious issues and to learn the communication skills necessary to do so in a productive and meaningful way. In the process, the teenagers are encouraged to expand their capacity for critical reflection and deepen their understanding of each other and of the conflict. The youngsters thus develop a trusted peer group with whom they can recount painful memories, express pent up anger and frustration and search together for answers and new solutions to old problems. Religious Services: Fridays include both Muslim and Jewish services. In the early afternoon, observing Muslims conduct their religious ceremony on the soccer field for all to attend and witness. Similarly the Jewish Sabbath service at sunset is attended by all campers who are interested in witnessing the ceremony. In this way the young people and Seeds of Peace staff get a chance to learn about each others' religion and traditions first hand. A Christian service is conducted Sunday mornings, again with a camp-wide invitation for all to observe and learn. Seeds of Peace encourages all campers to attend the services as part of the learning process of coexistence. Additionally, in 2002, for the first time, Seeds of Peace held Hindu services for its campers from India. Delegation Meetings: Several times each session, hour-long delegation meetings are scheduled. It is here that the young people meet with their fellow delegates and Delegation Leaders (teachers, high school principals and other chaperones appointed by the Ministries of Education who accompany and are responsible for the young people while in the USA). They get a chance to talk in their own language about camp, their concerns and enjoyment. It is the only time during the week that the Seeds of Peace participants come together as a delegation and are permitted to speak in their native language. At all other times interaction between delegates from different countries is scheduled and the delegates speak English, the common language of camp. 
Cultural Night: On one night during each session, campers get a chance to share their cultural heritage and traditions with one another, while enjoying an international dinner made up of familiar ethnic dishes. This particular night provides a wonderful opportunity for campers to enhance their coexistence process by getting the chance to see traditional clothing, hear different music and taste delicious (and new) foods with friends from all over the world. Group Challenge: The Group Challenge component of the Seeds of Peace program complements camp life and the coexistence program on a variety of levels. A carefully designed series of group activities, Group Challenge promotes a combination of teamwork skills and individual commitment. Making use in part of the low elements of the Ropes and Initiatives Course, Group Challenge is a flexible program that is continuously reevaluated and adjusted to meet the needs of the young people as they evolve through the Seeds of Peace coexistence program. The Group Challenge is experienced by dialogue groups at different times of the coexistence process to reinforce trust, team-spirit, cooperation and communication; thus forging stronger bonds between dialogue group members. 
Color Games: Color Games, the camp Olympics, is the culminating event at the end of every camp session. During this time, the camp is divided into two multi-national teams that compete in every camp activity-from sports and fine art to music, drama and even special activities like cooking and computer contests. Though Color Games is characterized by intense competition, it simultaneously encourages a similarly intense cooperative spirit that rises above the traditional ethnic and national divides. Color Games as such, is an important way for friendships to be cemented and also serves as an important learning experience about personal and group identity. 
Peer Support Program/Washington DC: As part of the Peer Support program, all returning campers visit Washington DC, where the young people tour the White House and State Department, visit national monuments and museums, participate in television news programs and meet with members of the United States Government as well as their own ambassadors to the United States. Traditionally Seeds of Peace delegates meet with either the President, Vice President, First Lady or Secretary of State. This part of the program helps empower these young leaders as they return to the 'real world,' proving to them that world leaders are interested in hearing about their achievements, want to learn from them, and are entrusting them with helping to create a more just and secure future for all peoples and nations in the Middle East, South Asia, Cyprus, the Balkans and other regions of conflict.
Seeds of Peace International Camp 2008
Session One: June 24 - July 15
Session Two: July 21 - Aug 12
Click here for more information on staffing opportunities. Click here for more information on becoming an American Delegate.
For more information on Seeds of Peace International Camp, please write to us at camp@seedsofpeace.org. 
