When my daughter Georgia was 11, she set off for a month in Bogata, Columbia. She was part of a program called Children's International Summer Village (CISV), founded by a woman in Cincinatti who believed that children who met one another from around the world when they were young, would be less likely to kill one another in wars when they got older. Each year 44 eleven year olds from 11 countries gather in 'villages' around the world and learn about each others customs, values, and ways of life. They also learn how similar they are.A few years ago, I was introduced to another wonderful program that tries to foster world peace by bringing together younger people. In this case they are Palestinians, Jews and Canadians and they are brought together through a joint film-making program. Today I received some information about this years program and am taking the liberty of sharing it, just to let you know about the kinds of initiatives that are taking place 'behind the scenes', and on the off chance you might know of someone who might want to participate.
| Hello Michael, We hope you'll take a minute to read some of the latest news here at Peace it Together...
Seeking: The Next Generation of Creative Peace-Builders
The application process is now open to find committed and creative Israeli and Palestinian University students between the ages of 20-25, to participate in our upcoming 2011 program. If you are interested in participating, or if you want to find out more details about the program, please download an application form. *Feel free to send our announcement to friends and family who you believe would be interested in applying* Please note that the Canadian student application process will follow later this year or in early 2011.
Why University Students? While our past programs have focused on engaging high school students, our 2011 program will focus instead on university students. As a long-term strategy we are developing a model that can be easily transferred to other conflicts; this process requires us to be exploratory. We have had great results with our past teenage participants and it is time to see our program in action with young adults. Our hope is that university students- who are already on a path in life that includes a vision of peace-building -will have the time, drive and even greater resources and opportunities to become committed ambassadors for peace in their communities.
UBC Focus Group - A Success A very big ‘thank you’ to everyone who made it out to our September focus group at UBC. We had engaging discussions and received valuable input about how our Canadian participants can impact their communities once the summer portion of our program is over. Questions that emerged included: -What would a university peace-building society look like in terms of its goals and functions? -How can Peace it Together best support people who want to start a similar program in their own community? -In what other contexts would Peace it Together’s model work well? Send us your own thoughts on these questions – we would love to have your input. Events in Vancouver Reena Lazar, Peace it Together's Executive Director, will be participating in two very interesting discussions this month; please join us if you are able! How the Arts Support Societies in Civil Conflict Part of the Chan-Connect Series ‘Art as Activism’ [Panelists include Mexican singer and activist Lila Downs] With Earth and Each Other: A Virtual Rally for a Better Middle East When: Nov 14th, 9:30am
Peace it Together is Now on twitter We’ve just joined one of the Internet’s largest and most active communities! On Twitter we’ll be spreading news about Peace it Together’s work and connecting with the ever-growing number of people committed to peace building. Follow @peacefilms and send us a tweet to say hello.
Introducing… Welcome to Rami Azzam, Peace it Together’s new Online Communications Director and Emily Parsons Dickau, our Communications and Fund-Raising Assistant. We're also pleased to introduce two new regional coordinators for our 2011 program: Khalil Bader our Palestinian Project Coordinator and Yiftach Ron our Israeli Project Coordinator. Help us raise $30,000 by the end of 2010! Your generous tax-deductible donation will help cover the cost of planning and preparing for our 2011 program.
If you are interested in partnering with us to raise funds by sending out a sponsorship letter (or e-mail) to friends and family, let us know! We will happily send you a draft letter that you can personalize and send to others. Together we can empower youth and create meaningful change in the Middle East.
Peace, Shalom, Salaam.
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