What does it mean to be a Seed? To eat with, canoe with, and bare your soul to strangers—“enemies,” even—over multiple weeks at a Camp in the middle of rural Maine?
It’s an incredibly difficult question for most Seeds to fully articulate, but fortunately, taking on the difficult—the “impossible,” even—is what Seeds of Peace is all about.
In the following video, originally posted on the SOP19st Instagram account on Christmas Day, 19 Seeds from around the world give their honest, heartfelt, and certainly raggedy (a term used in dialogue sessions that means going beyond the superficial and getting real) takes on topics like meeting with the “other,” their best and most difficult moments at Camp, and why they wanted to come to Camp in the first place.
The video was conceived of and created by the two 2019 Seeds behind the Instagram account, which has become a popular platform for Seeds and counselors to share their Camp experiences and to reconnect. The Instagram account creators both live in the Middle East, but have asked to remain anonymous for now to avoid any misconceptions about bias that might discourage more Seeds from sharing their stories. (They have, however, expressed interest in revealing their identities once they hit 600 followers.)
The goal of the video, said its creator, was partially to give uncensored insight about the Camp experience to those who are considering applying, as well as to be a beacon to help bring Seeds back to what matters most.
“Whenever time passes, we feel the distance between us and our friends and Camp,” the video’s creator wrote in an email. “Some had already moved on and totally forgot about Camp, so it was time to remind them about the experience and their friends.”
The video was created at the expense of studying for final exams and socializing with friends, but was an act of love that the video’s maker said was well worth the sacrifice.
“At the end, this video is for teens around the world, to encourage them to join and have this unforgettable experience. This is the way we can change. This is what we can do.”
As an American Foreign Service Officer in Mumbai many years ago, I helped found the India-Pakistan Seeds of Peace program. I am so, so happy to see it still flourishing. Thank you, Seeds of Peace.
That’s amazing and I’m from Palestine
This is such an amazing account. I am very impressed by this is work. Keep it going.
What an inspiration to hear these young people all over the world. Thank you for giving me hope and Maine loves and misses you and camp. Stay safe and well and keep working for peace, saving our planet mutual respect, understanding, tolerance and educating ourselves each and every day. Wendy, Brunswick, Maine (interested visitor to camp last summer)