Date: February 14, 2011
To: Lynn Gilden
From: Alfonso Sanchez
RE: Seeds of Peace
Violence around the world has divided humanity, whether it is due to religion, terrorist attacks, or political views. Each side experiences the negative outcome that comes from violence and places the blame on the rival actor, creating a stereotype of: guilty by association. This creates a social road block that constricts communication and creates hatred on each side.
The program, Seeds of Peace tries to resolve the violence by creating friendships in an attempt to eliminate the violence and hatred for one another. It attempts to break down this social road block by placing people from rival sides that have been divided by violence together in a stress free environment. The awkward situation forces the two to work together and to get a better understanding of each other. In hope, that they will be able to persuade their friends and family that their neighbors are friends and not enemies.
The Seeds of Peace attempts to achieve this goal by requiring a certain portion of the day dedicated to dialog. During this session of dialog the two must communicate and share personal experiences with one another. This allows the two to get to know one another and see, firsthand, how each side is affected by the violence. This begins to break down the exaggerated truths that their governments have led them to believe.
The program also attempts to build leadership skills and trust through activities such cultural events and color games. During culture night, the campers are asked to experience what the other cultures have to offer by tasting different foods, listening to each others’ music, and wearing clothing from different cultures. During color games, the camp is divided into two teams. The teams participate in sports like tug-a-war, soccer, basketball, baseball, chess, cannoning, and dance.
The spread of the seed doesn’t end here. The website is very informative. On the website there is Information on how to donate, how to be a camp counselor, and how to enroll children in the program. On the website viewers can also see inspiring video interviews of former campers. In these interviews the campers share the cultural struggles and overall influence the program had on him/her. The viewer can also read tweets of former campers posted on the website.
Wow!! I didn't know that the Seeds of Peace program does all this stuff to work with people from two opposing nations to try to get them to get along with each other and becomes friends. Also, it's cool that they offer lots of stuff for them to do to encourage friendship between the two rival countries and how each side gets to learn about the other in the process. If there are more of these programs in the world, then the word "war" wouldn't be in anyones' mind and the world would be peaceful and everyone would be getting along with one another.
ReplyDeleteok is it me ... or does cannoning sound like something one would do when they want to get rid of someone? as in to shoot out of a cannon ... but seriously these guys seem to get the right idea about the world... just because some one is from a different place then you or is different in general doesnt make them evil or want to kill you ... most of the time. not gonna lie there are people out there who are pure evil in a can. but for the most part people just want to get along and stop fighting.
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